Pender County Sheriff's Office: School bus driver charged with sexual battery
A former Pender County school bus driver is facing charges in connection with sexual battery of two students.
Austin Lee Kelly, 32 of Burgaw, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery on Wednesday, according to a Facebook post from the Pender County Sheriff's Office. Two Pender County students were identified as victims of the sexual assaults.
Kelly was previously employed as a school bus driver for Heide Trask High School, according to a news release from Pender County Schools on Friday. Kelly was not employed by Pender County Schools at the time of his arrest.
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"We understand that this news may cause concern within our community, and we want to assure parents, students, and staff that the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority," the release reads. "Pender County Schools is committed to maintaining a secure and supportive environment for all our students."
An initial investigation was conducted by administrative staff of a Pender County high school pertaining to school employment policy violations, according to the post from the Pender County Sheriff's Office. School administrators then reported the crimes to the high school's resource officer, beginning the criminal complaint leading to Kelly's charges.
Anyone with information in Kelly's case is asked to contact the Pender County Sheriff's Office at 910-259-1212 or 910-259-1515.
Kelly was being held under a $20,000 total secured bond in the Pender County Jail as of Wednesday, according to the Pender County Sheriff's Office inmate search.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: School bus driver charged with sexual battery in Pender County, NC
