A former Montgomery County, Maryland, school bus driver is facing up to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing four special needs students, according to the county state’s attorney’s office.
A jury found 67-year-old Etienne Kabongo criminally responsible Thursday for the abuse. He argued he shouldn’t be criminally responsible, citing a mental illness.
In 2020, Kabongo pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree rape and two counts of sexual abuse of a minor for sexually abusing the four female passengers who rode the bus he drove for the school system.
“Etienne Kabongo was entrusted with the safety of some of the most vulnerable members of our community and he violated that trust, using his position to sexually abuse the nonverbal students for which he was responsible,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. “We are grateful that justice has prevailed and hope it provides some comfort for the victims and their families.”
The abuse surfaced when a victim spoke to authorities after an incident in July 2018. Surveillance footage from the bus showed Kabongo brushing his hand against the student’s genitals over the top of her clothes, according to charging documents. Kabongo was driving the victim home from a summer program, the documents said.
When Montgomery County police investigated, they found surveillance footage from the bus that showed several incidents involving three additional girls.
Two of the girls were minors at the time, and the other two were both 18, the state’s attorney’s office said.
Kabongo, known as “Mr. Steve” to some students, drove buses for the county for over a decade, mainly driving special needs students.
The school system fired Kabongo, but in 2018, parents of special needs students expressed concerns about their students’ safety. One of the victims’ parents sued Montgomery County Public Schools for negligence, saying the county should have had better oversight of Kabongo.
A sentencing hearing for Kabongo is scheduled for March 30.
“MCPS does not stand for this type of conduct, and it supports the police investigation and outcome of the verdict of Etienne K. Kabongo,” a schools spokesperson said.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Montgomery County schools.
