School bus driver ‘admits upskirting students’ for ‘many years’ after ‘creepy’ comment to young girl got cops’ attention – The Sun
A DISGRACED school bus driver has admitted to secretly filming students, including recording under the skirt of a girl as she got on the bus.
Michael Paul Smith, 43, from Rockwall, Texas was arrested last week and charged with invasive visual recording, carried out via his cell phone connected to a secret surveillance system he rigged up on the school bus, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Authorities were tipped off by a concerned parent who called the police after a “creepy” comment Smith made to their daughter, telling her “how nice” she looked.
The parent said the manner in which Smith made the comment made them feel "uncomfortable".
An investigation into Smith, whose bus route in north-eastern Dallas serviced Springer Elementary and Utley Middle School, revealed the secret recording system.
Footage showed at least 11 examples of inappropriate conduct by Smith, including an instance in November where he used his cell phone to film under a middle school student’s skirt.
Other instances showed him focusing intensely on female students, staring at them from behind as they passed him to get on the bus.
In a bizarre email to the Rockwall Independent School District, Smith confessed to secretly filming the children, admitting he has been doing it “for many years”.
“So I am now confessing to you, yes, I was discreetly filming students on my bus,” the email read, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
“I have been doing this for many years,” he admitted.
“The reason I do this is irrelevant. I can tell you it’s a tool I use.
“I broke district policy and I most definitely broke a law. Most importantly, I put children’s lives at risk.”
Smith was released on a $7,500 bond. His position as a bus driver with the Rockwall ISD has been terminated. Parents of children in the district received a letter from the ISD ensuring them that “this behavior is not tolerated”.
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