Indiana bus driver accused of choking student on school bus

INDIANAPOLIS — A bus driver in Pike Township, Ind., is facing charges after an incident involving a student.

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In court documents obtained by WRTV, Leslie Sea, 53, was operating a bus when she reportedly grabbed a student’s throat during an argument about getting off the bus at a different stop.

The incident started when Sea took a different route because of traffic, according to court documents obtained by the news outlet.

The boy’s mother told WXIN that her son, who has special needs, was confused and tried to get off the bus earlier.

According to police, Sea grabbed the boy, WXIN reported.

“She grabbed him by the neck, pushed him onto the seats,” the boy’s mother told the news outlet. “Put her hands around his neck and started squeezing and scratching. The other students were trying to pull her off.”

In surveillance video, Sea was reportedly seen grabbing the boy by the throat, according to court documents obtained by WRTV.

Larry Young, the superintendent of MSD of Pike Township, told WXIN that at first it was believed that the driver was the one who was assaulted, however, officers reported they did not see any marks on Sea at the scene, and when they met with the boy they saw bruises and welts around his throat, according to WRTV.

The director of transportation took over the route from the driver and took the students home.

Sea is facing charges including strangulation and battery resulting in bodily injury, according to the news outlet. She has been placed on administrative leave due to the investigation, WXIN reported.