A former Tennessee bus driver convicted of criminal negligence in a crash that killed six elementary students is facing a new charge in connection with crimes against a child.
Johnthony Walker, 25, was arrested in Nashville Thursday on a charge of aggravated statutory rape. According to local ABC affiliate WKRN-TV, an arrest warrant accuses Walker of having sex with a 14-year-old girl on five occasions over the last few months.
Walker had been staying with the victim’s family while he was out on bond, the news station reported, pending an appeal to his conviction for the November 2016 Chattanooga bus crash deaths.
Six Woodmore Elementary School children died after Walker, who was 24 at the time, swerved, struck a telephone pole and a tree. Prosecutors said he was speeding and on his cellphone. There were 31 other students on board the bus.
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While Walker had no previous criminal record, the Woodmore Elementary principal complained about his speed just 10 days before the fatal crash, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. School records showed several students and at least one parent said Walker drove too fast, slammed on the brakes and cursed in front of the children.
MORE: Students, principal had complained about Chattanooga school bus driver
He was sentenced in April to four years for 11 counts of reckless aggravated assault. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, a judge denied Walker a sentence reduction earlier this week.
Now, he’s sitting in the Davidson County Jail, and his bond is set at $350,000.
The Chattanooga news station reported that the family of the victim called police to turn in Walker after they learned about the alleged assaults.
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