GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — The Cherry Creek School District said this week that they terminated a former bus driver and bus assistant after he was accused of sexually assaulting a child on a bus earlier this year.
According to a district spokesperson, Wayne Smith was fired Feb. 2 "immediately after allegations of his misconduct surfaced." The district notified Greenwood Village Police and worked with them during their investigation into the accusations against Smith.
Court records show Smith was arrested this month and faces a felony charge of sexual assault on an at-risk child. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of tampering.
The district sent a letter to parents on July 7 informing them about Smith's arrest. In that letter, they said Smith worked at the district from January 2019 to February 2023. According to an arrest affidavit, the district told police that Smith had once been a bus driver, but was taken off driving duty and became a bus assistant.
The letter was shared with families of all students who rode the bus with Smith during his employment at the district.
According to the affidavit, the alleged assault happened on a school bus in January. Bus cameras captured the incident, and a district employee reported it to police on Feb. 1, according to the affidavit.
When the video was discovered, Smith "was immediately terminated and escorted out of the building," the affidavit says.
Police also found evidence that Smith had covered cameras on two buses with black tape, according to the affidavit. Bus mechanics found the tape while doing repairs and reported it to their supervisors, the affidavit says.
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