WOBURN, Mass. — A Newton school bus driver accused of driving semi-nonverbal children to “secluded” areas faced a judge on Friday after he was indicted on kidnapping charges earlier this month.
Justin Vose, 42 of Bedford, was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of kidnapping. A judge set his bail at $1,000.
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The charges stem from allegations of inappropriate conduct while Vose worked as a bus driver for the Newton Early Education Childhood Program and Transportation for Newton Public Schools, which was contracted through JSC Transportation, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Newton police launched an investigation into Vose on May 28, 2024, when one student showed up late to the Newton Early Education Childhood Program.
When the bus company checked the driver’s GPS location, it allegedly revealed that Vose entered the parking lot but instead of dropping the child off, he “drove to a secluded portion of the parking lot near the tree line,” according to prosecutors.
The investigation later revealed that Vose drove three victims, between ages 3 and 5, to secluded areas on “multiple occasions” and “turned off the audio and video recording in his bus for up to 20 minutes at a time,” prosecutors said.
At no time did the school district, parents of the students, daycare, or bus company authorize Vose’s change in route or one-on-one time with the victims, investigators noted.
A search of Vose’s phone also revealed that he had taken photos with the victims, according to Ryan’s office.
The judge imposed bail conditions for Vose including home GPS confinement, no unsupervised contact with kids under 18, no employment or volunteer work with kids under 18, and to stay away from and have no contact with victims and witnesses.
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