Pittsburgh school van driver sexually assaulted intellectually disabled girl, police say

A school van driver from Pittsburgh is accused of sexually assaulting an intellectually disabled girl.

Police charged Raymond Michael West, 42, on Monday with indecent assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. Online court records did not list an attorney for West.

A criminal complaint filed in the case said a Pittsburgh police detective began investigating West in April 2022 after a ChildLine report disclosed that the girl had been sexually assaulted by her school van driver, later identified as West.

The student’s mother told police West had been her van driver for about two years, since her daughter was in ninth grade. When the mother was interviewed, the girl was 18 and in 11th grade, but has the diagnosed mindset of a third grade student, police said.

The complaint said the girl first told two of her siblings that West had sexually assaulted her on the van.

Police said the girl detailed incidents with West on the van during an interview in July 2022.

The complaint said West told police when he was interviewed in September 2022 that he quit his job and was no longer a school van driver.

West denied having any sexual contact with the girl. He claimed the girl had behavioral issues on the van, including touching herself and exposing herself to pedestrians on the street.

West said he never reported the incidents to the van company owner or the student’s mother, according to the complaint.