A 14-year-old girl cried “no” repeatedly and resisted when an 18-year-old student allegedly raped her on a school bus with other students watching last Wednesday, the Murfreesboro Police spokesman said.
The bus videotape shows the Riverdale High School freshman resisting senior Brandon Stover, who was charged Friday with rape and sexual assault after the girl and her father complained to school authorities Thursday, said spokesman Kyle Evans.
“You can clearly see her on the video camera above the driver,” Evans said. “You can clearly see her resisting (saying) ‘no’ and ‘leave me alone.’ She turned to one person and pleaded for help.”
Other students watched as the student screamed, he said. One boy tried to distract Stover by talking with him but the conversation didn’t last long.
Rutherford County Schools’ spokesman James Evans said Stover was expelled Monday from Riverdale High School. Schools’ Director Harry Gill decided Stover won’t be allowed to attend an alternative school. His only options will be to attend adult high school classes to graduate or get his GED.
Kyle Evans said the girl sat in the seventh row when approached by Stover who “slams her body with his and forced her up against the window,” Evans said. For the next 15 minutes between Riverdale and the St. Andrews Drive area, “he sexually assaulted her by rubbing himself on her.”
Stover allegedly penetrated the girl with his finger, resulting in the rape charge, the spokesman said, adding, “she was traumatized.” The girl repeatedly cried “no,” sending the message she resisted the attack.
Under state law, any sexual penetration, no matter how slight, is considered rape.
In his arrest report, Detective Wayne Lawson stated he talked with the girl who reported Stover touched her breast and penetrated her.
Lawson watched the video from the bus showing “it was clear that an assault had occurred.”
The detective interviewed Stover.
“Stover admitted to assaulting her but claims he did not put his hand inside her pants,” Lawson reported.
Kyle Evans said the bus driver apparently didn’t respond to the girl’s cries.
“We are looking into evidence … (about) what the bus driver saw and heard or didn’t see and hear,” Evans said. “We still have some hard questions still unanswered.”
The school system’s Evans said he talked with veteran bus driver Joe Bond who told him he has a standing rule that “if he needs to pull over to call out my name and I’ll do it.” But the girl never called out. When the girl got off the bus, she asked Bond to watch the tape.
“She never said anything about penetration,” James Evans said. “The bus driver is really shocked about that.”
Bond watched the tape that showed her resisting and saying “no.” The next morning, Bond kept the girl on the bus and asked her what happened.
“She said again, ‘he touched me but didn’t say he touched her sexually,’” James Evans said.
Bond instructed her to tell the administration what happened and turned over the tape to school officials.
“He thought it was groping at the most,” James Evans said. “He was really shocked. If he knew, he would have taken care of it immediately. He doesn’t put up with that kind of stuff.”
About 60 students were believed to be on the bus. James Evans said he was unsure why no other student reported what happened.
Once the girl told the school administrators, her father came to the school and law enforcement officers were notified.
The bus driver’s main responsibility is to keep his eyes on the road and the bus safe, the schools’ spokesman said. He glanced back in the mirror but didn’t have time to see what was going on.
“I hate the bus driver is being blamed,” James Evans said. “He had no clue. We feel like the bus driver did what he was supposed to do based on the information he was given.”
Parents want children to be safe, James Evans said, adding, “It’s unfortunate and terrible that this happened but it’s rare.”
Kyle Evans said Detective Wayne Lawson charged Stover, of 1931 Odessa Ave. after his investigation. He was booked into Rutherford County Adult Detention Center and released on bond. His hearing is set April 29 in General Sessions Court.
“This type of behavior is unacceptable,” Evans said. “A school bus is supposed to be a place where children feel safe and a place where the community believes is safe. This young man took advantage of this innocent girl and we’re going to do everything we can to see that he goes to jail for this terrible crime.”
The investigation remains open, he said.
“We’re still trying to do everything we can to send a clear message to other young people that type of behavior is illegal,” Evans said.
