HOUSTON — An 11-year-old has been charged after a woman claimed her son was sexually assaulted on an Aldine ISD school bus, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
The 11-year-old has been charged with three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to the DA's office.
The charges were accepted on Tuesday and the child appeared at a hearing on Wednesday.
KHOU 11 spoke to the mother of the 6-year-old last week and she said the assaults happened over a five-month period.
The mother, who KHOU 11 is not identifying to protect the child, initially asked the school to investigate what she thought was a somewhat minor incident after her son’s backpack was thrown out of the school bus window. Instead, once the onboard camera was reviewed, she said the school asked her to come in to speak with an Aldine ISD police officer who told her that the video showed her son being sexually abused by another student.
During a press conference with Quannel X, the mother said mentally, her son is too young to understand what has happened, but she is having a difficult time coming to terms with what her son said he’s experienced.
“Inside I am dying,” the mother said. “Days of questioning, days of talking to my child, the details became more and more graphic each and every time.”
Aldine ISD released the following statement to KHOU 11:
The Aldine ISD Police Department has presented the investigation findings to the Harris County DA’s office. Formal charges have been filed by the DA’s office.
The safety and security of our students is our priority and we take all situations seriously. When we receive information regarding a possible harmful situation, the appropriate authorities are immediately notified and we immediately conduct a thorough investigation.
Community activists Quanell X and Dr. Candice Mathews released the following statement:
"This is a tragic case that involves more than one family. In this case, there are no winners, but they are definitely losers… the children in particular! We ask for the city to pray for all of the children, kids involved in this, and we demand that the transportation department and the district come forth with real solutions to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Child Protective Services confirms they are investigating too.