Castle Rock bus driver facing 30 charges of child abuse makes court appearance
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Castle Rock bus driver who is facing 30 child abuse charges was in a Douglas County court Friday.
RELATED: Colorado bus driver faces 30 child abuse charges for intentionally slamming on brakes
A viral video, first reported by 13 Investigates is at the center of the case against 61-year-old Brian Fitzgerald. The video shows him intentionally slamming on the brakes of the bus and at least 30 elementary students hitting their faces on the seats in front of them.
The incident happened in March of this year, but Fitzgerald was not charged until mid-April. Fitzgerald told investigators that he slammed on the brakes because he, "wanted to teach the kids a lesson."
In court Friday, the judge ordered Fitzgerald to not have any contact with the victims in the case. He is facing 30 misdemeanor charges of child abuse, one of which includes bodily injury. That charge on its own carries a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail.
According to records, before the Douglas County School District fired Fitzgerald for the incident, he apologized for his actions but also said he's an "old-school guy" who had already told the children to sit down in their seats four times.
13 Investigates attempted to speak with Fitzgerald at his court hearing Friday, but he had no comment.
Fitzgerald is due back in court in July.
