Former Utah bus driver charged with sex abuse of second student

A former Canyons School District bus driver — already charged with sexually molesting one 5-year-old Sandy girl — was charged Monday with molesting another 5-year-old girl who rode his bus to and from Altara Elementary School.

John Martin Carrell, 61, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all first-degree felonies, for acts that allegedly occurred on his bus in March and April.

Carrell was charged in May with 23 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child for alleged abuse of the other girl from late February to late April.

According to charging documents in the second case, the girl had been acting out, and her father went to police after learning that Carrell had been charged with sexually abusing the other girl.

In both cases, Sandy police reviewed hours of video surveillance footage from months of bus rides before submitting the case to prosecutors.

The video footage shows Carrell touching the girls inappropriately while buckling and unbuckling them into their seats, according to charging documents.

Carrell resigned after he was put on administrative leave on April 24 in response to the initial abuse accusations.

In connection with the first case, Carrell was expected in court for a scheduling hearing on Tuesday in West Jordan. No court dates have been set in the second case.

Defense attorney Richard Mauro has said his client innocent and is "hurt" by the accusations.

Carrell is being held at the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of a total of $5 million cash-only bail. If convicted as charged, he faces up to life in prison.

shunt@sltrib.com