Hagerstown school bus attendant charged with sexually assaulting special needs students

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Police in Hagerstown arrested a school bus attendant this week and charged him with sexually assaulting three young students.

School bus driver arrested

What we know:

Michael Sowers, a substitute school bus attendant with Washington County Public Schools, was arrested on Friday. 

Hagerstown Police said they received reports from Social Services on Thursday that an attendant had inappropriately touched several students.

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Detectives used surveillance footage from inside the bus, and allegedly found Sowers sexually assaulting three students on May 5. The students were between 5 and 9 years old, and police said all three are considered special needs.

Sowers was charged Friday with two counts of assault, four counts of sex offenses and one count of rape.

What they're saying:

In a message to families on Friday, Washington County Public Schools called the allegations "serious and deeply disturbing." 

The district said that Sowers had gone between full and part-time bus attendant positions since 2022, and passed a background check before he was hired.

After the allegations were revealed on Friday, WCPS said Sowers was no longer employed by the district, and that they are fully cooperating with police and social services' investigation.

What's next:

Hagerstown police said that they are continuing to review surveillance footage from bus routes, and that "it is possible that there are more victims."