Salinas Union High School District bus driver arrested for raping disabled children
A special needs bus driver for the Salinas Union High School District is behind bars, accused of raping physically and developmentally disabled children.
According to Salinas Police, Bill Harvey was arrested in Seaside on March 9th.
His arrest comes after officers responded to a call about a man harassing a female on February 22nd. That call launched the investigation that eventually led to Harvey’s arrest.
Salinas Police said during the investigation they discovered Harvey had been a bus driver for special needs children enrolled in the district for several years. Over the course of the last 10 years, Harvey had an inappropriate relationship with at least two of the children who rode on his bus.
Harvey bought gifts and met with at least one of the victims several times outside of his normal job duties. Police said the victims described being touched inappropriately and forced to commit sexual acts against their will.
The first sexual act happened eight years ago when one victim was 13-years-old. The sexual acts continued to happen as recent as late last year.
“This is a terrible case,” said Commander John Murray. “We have somebody here in a position of trust that took advantage of that position of trust and victimized some of the most vulnerable in our community.”
The Salinas Union High School District released a statement to KION on the arrest that said:
“We are shocked to learn about the recent arrest of an employee related to multiple charges of sexual misconduct with a minor. This is a disturbing set of allegations and we are taking it seriously. We are cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigation. The safety and security of our students are a priority and we are working with the victim’s families and school community. We placed this employee on administrative leave, and as a result, he will have no contact with any Salinas Union High School District student. We are still learning about the details related to these allegations. We must respect the rights to privacy and due process of everyone involved, and the district cannot comment on personnel matters or student information. As law enforcement moves forward we will take the appropriate disciplinary actions. We appreciate the community’s understanding and support as we work through this unfortunate situation.”
Harvey has been booked into the Monterey County Jail on charges of Rape of a Person Unable to Give Consent, Rape by Force or Fear, Lewd Act Upon a Child, Kidnapping and Stalking. Because of the seriousness of the crimes and the safety of Harvey, he is being held separate from the other inmates.
The investigation is ongoing and police are trying to determine if there are more victims.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Investigations Bureau at (831) 758-7226 or Detective Gabriela Garibay at gabriega@ci.salinas.ca.us. If you would like to remain anonymous you can call the Tip Line at (831) 775-4222 or the We-Tip Line at 1-800-78-CRIME.
