CCSD bus driver arrested on child sex abuse charges
A Clark County School District substitute bus driver has been arrested on charges of sexual assault against a student, Las Vegas police and school officials said Tuesday.
Ramiro Garcia, 52, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Saturday on two counts of sexual assault against a child under 14, three counts of lewdness with a child under 14 and one count of child abuse. He was initially held without bail, but Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman set bail at $5,000 after a hearing Monday, court records show. Garcia was released that day after posting bail.
More details on the accusations were not immediately available.
The charges involve one child, but police said they want parents who think their children might have been victimized to call detectives. Garcia worked on bus routes in the northeast Las Vegas Valley, but a CCSD spokeswoman did not immediately know the specific schools whose students he drove.
Public salary records show Garcia earned a base pay of about $23,000 last year. As a substitute bus driver assigned to the Cheyenne bus yard, he filled in on routes when regular bus drivers were out for the day, CCSD spokeswoman Melinda Malone said. She said Garcia has been suspended without pay.
Garcia started as a trainee in 2011, according to salary information posted on TransparentNevada.com.
In a statement, the school district said it has worked with Metro since being notified of "alleged inappropriate activity by a substitute bus driver with a student." Parents of students who were on his route recently are being contacted and asked to talk to their children and call police if necessary, CCSD said.
The district added that it has "taken steps to increase awareness among employees on signs to look for in students and among colleagues that may indicate the need for reporting."
Parents can call Metro's Sexual Assault Section at 702-828-3307. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton. Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites
