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MD Bus Driver Who Claimed Mental Disorder Made Him Sexually Abuse Special Needs Girls Sentenced

A Montgomery County school bus driver has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually abusing children who rode his bus.

Etienne Kabongo

Etienne Kabongo

Photo Credit: Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office

Etienne Kabongo, 67, claimed he was not criminally responsible for abusing the four girls due to a mental disorder after he pleaded guilty to the crime, announced the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office.

Kabongo was accused of abusing the special needs girls, who were ages 12, 12, 18, and 20 at the time of the incidents.

Officials began investigating the incidents after one of the victims came forward in 2018. Surveillance footage of the incidents was collected, prompting Kabongo to claim he had abused the girls due to a mental disorder he had.

“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. Thank you to Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Rubinstein for his work in holding this defendant accountable. We are grateful that justice has prevailed and hope it provides some comfort for the victims and their families,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

Should Kabongo ever be released, he faces several years of probation.

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