Monterey County bus driver gets probation, jail time for lewd acts with students

A school bus driver convicted of inappropriately touching two girls will serve a year in Monterey County Jail and three years of probation, with the caveat that if he violates probation, he’ll go to prison for six years.

Carlos Dominquez Rodriguez III, 31, of Salinas, was a bus driver for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in October when he touched two Colton Middle School girls, ages 12 and 13, while he was transporting students to and from school.

Prosecutors said he also threatened one of the girls, telling her he knew where she lived, would go to her home and rape her. The children immediately ran from the bus to tell one of their parents what had happened.

Witnesses on the bus also saw Rodriguez play an explicit video on his phone for students and play songs with inappropriate lyrics.

In Monterey County Tuesday, Rodriguez was given what’s referred to as a suspended prison sentence of six years and placed on probation for three years. If he violates the terms of his probation within that three-year period, he will be sent to prison for six years. He must also register as a sex offender for life and may not possess any cellphone device equipped with a camera.