A North Carolina school bus driver who calls himself “Ms. Sharon” has been charged with sexually assaulting several boys whom he lured to his house, cops say.
Leetwain Darrell Tate — a 48-year-old a male also known as just “Sharon” — was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of statutory rape and six counts of indecent liberties with a minor, according to Charlotte-Mecklenberg police.
He is accused of assaulting at least four boys age 14 and 15 years old, but officials said there could be more victims.
The children were found to be staying at his house, and one of them claimed Tate offered him money in return for sex, an arrest affidavit obtained by WCNC read.
Tate drove school buses for the Sugar Creek Charter School in Charlotte, but was suspended during the weeks-long investigation and then fired on Sept. 30, WCCB reported.
None of the alleged crimes occurred on school property or while Tate was working his bus route, police said.
Tate, who is listed as 5-foot-7 and 210 lbs., was sent to the Mecklenburg County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million bond.
His family has insisted he was innocent of the charges, but neighbors say they’ve been left “disturbed” by the allegations.
“It’s pretty disturbing that it is so close to home and you are just shocked,” neighbor Tony Sanders told WCNC. “To me it’s a shame.
“Fourteen, 15 years old can be so impressionable at that age. To think someone would take advantage of that is very alarming,” he added.
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