School Bus Driver Arrested On Battery Charge

VENICE, FL — A 71-year-old Sarasota County Schools bus driver faces battery charges after authorities say he repeatedly toyed with a 13-year-old girl’s hair without her consent. The man is also accused of touching the girl’s neck.

An investigation into the alleged actions of Leonard Villari began on Feb. 13 when the Venice Middle School student reported the incident to the campus' resource deputy. The girl told the deputy “Mr. Lenny” came up to her in the cafeteria at lunch and started playing with her hair, an arrest report stated.

Villari, the report said, got up shortly after and entered the lunch line. After leaving the line, he “winked at her and walked into the teacher lounge,” the report said. Villari, the arrest report contends, returned moments later “and began playing with her hair again.” The second time, he’s also accused of touching her neck before another child “told him to stop.”

Villari, the sheriff’s office noted, was the girl’s bus driver last year. While she rode Villari’s bus, the girl told detectives he would “consistently make comments to her saying ‘baby girl,’ ‘I know where you live’ and ‘I love you,’” the report said. He also allegedly winked at her on a regular basis.

The detective that investigated the allegations said Venice Middle School’s security guard saw “Mr. Lenny playing with the student’s hair.” A video of the encounter was also pulled that reportedly showed Villari “playing with the student’s hair.”

Villari was arrested on battery charges Tuesday, April 18. He was released from the Sarasota County Jail Wednesday in lieu of $25,000 bond.

Villari’s employment status with Sarasota County Schools remains pending the outcome of the case, the sheriff’s office reported in a Wednesday media release. “If Villari returns to work, he will not drive a school bus and will have no contact with students,” pending the outcome of the case, the sheriff’s office wrote.

Further information is not available.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office