Mother of girl sexually battered on school bus says punishment doesn’t fit crime

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — An incident on a Columbus County school bus Friday has many parents worried about their children’s safety and well being.

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office says a 15-year-old boy sexually battered a 12-year-old girl on a school bus.

School bus number 48 takes students from Acme-Delco Elementary and Middle schools to and from school every day, but Friday witnesses say one student crossed the line on a dare, and the victim’s mother says not enough is being done about it.

“Had this been a caucasian little girl and a black boy jumped on her, it would have been handled,” the victim’s mother Rochanda Darden said.

Darden says her daughter was fondled on her school bus Friday afternoon.

“Her clothes were all ripped up where he was holding her down, forcing her down,” Darden said.

Darden was told a boy on the bus was dared by his friends to hold her daughter down and put his private parts in her face.

“He got dared by three little boys, Darden said. “They bet him a pair of sneakers that he would not do it, and he did it.”

Darden says she was notified by a parent, not the school, of the incident. When she went up to the school Monday, she was told the boy was suspended for 10 days and that the bus driver was fired. Darden says she doesn’t think the punishment fits the crime.

“This is not the first time he has done this,” she said. “He has done it to several other little girls, and the bus driver knew and did nothing about it.”

Another concerned parent said her child rides the same bus and saw everything. She did not want to be on camera, but she says she cannot believe more isn’t being done. She said is sick of the problems at the school being overlooked.

“There’s never any repercussions whatsoever to what these children done at this middle school,” the parent said.

Darden says she wants to make sure something happens to punish those involved so they learn their lesson.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next but, I’m going to push it to the fullest limit, because something has got to be done, because I wouldn’t want this to happen to somebody else’s child,” Darden said.

The Columbus County School Board says both the boy involved as well as the bus driver have been dealt with accordingly at this point in the investigation. There is no word on what will happen to the boys who dared the other child, but we’ve been told the video from the bus will be used in the criminal investigation.