Crime & Safety
VA School Bus Aide Who Assaulted Special Needs Children Sentenced
A former school bus aide convicted of sexually assaulting three children with special needs was sentenced on Friday, authorities say.
FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A former Spotsylvania County school bus aide who pleaded guilty in September to aggravated sexual battery of three children with special needs was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison, according to court records.
Detectives from the sheriff office's Child Victim Unit began investigating Miguel Velasquez Velasco, when school officials reported evidence of inappropriate touching of a student on a bus, according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators arrested Velasquez Velasco on March 12, after determining that the Fredericksburg resident had assaulted three separate children on the same day, while he was working as a school bus aide. The victims, who were students with disabilities, were 4 and 5 years old, court records say.
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On Sept. 19, Velasquez Velasco pleaded guilty in Spotsylvania Circuit Court to multiple charges of aggravated sexual battery of a victim under 13, taking indecent liberties with a child, and attempted sodomy, according to court records.
On Friday, Velasquez Velasco was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 17 years suspended on the aggravated sexual battery charge, according to court records. He was also sentenced to five years on the indecent liberties charge and 10 years on the sodomy charge. All of the sentences will run concurrently.
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“While we understand the importance of transparency with our stakeholders, we did not make ongoing public statements regarding the case to avoid compromising the legal process and to ensure that justice was served,” according to the statement. “We thank the Sheriff’s Office, Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and individuals who ensured that Miguel Velasquez Velasco was convicted to the full extent of the law. ... We are deeply saddened by what occurred, and our focus remains on the impacted students, providing support to them and their families and protecting their privacy."
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