The Circuit Court for Montgomery County found Etienne Kabongo, 67, of Gaithersburg, criminally responsible for the sexual abuse of four females with special needs. Kabongo was sentenced to 90 years in prison on Thursday, suspending all but 40 years. He would face five years of supervised probation should he ever be released.
Kabongo pleaded guilty to two counts of Second-Degree Rape and two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor for abusing four female victims who rode the bus he drove for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). One of the victims came forward after an incident in July 2018. A Montgomery County Police investigation resulted in the discovery of school bus surveillance footage of multiple incidents involving three additional victims. According to the State’s Attorney of Montgomery County’s office, two girls were minors at the time, and the other two were 18 years old.
“The defendant had maintained that he was not criminally responsible due to an alleged mental disorder, but last month the jury found he is indeed responsible for these crimes,” according to the press release.
“Etienne Kabongo was entrusted with the safety of some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and he violated that trust, using his position to sexually abuse the nonverbal students for which he was responsible. Thank you to Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Rubinstein for his work in holding this defendant accountable. We are grateful that justice has prevailed and hope it provides some comfort for the victims and their families,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
Kabongo was arrested in August 2018. At the time, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) said he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl, and the school bus camera captured the assault.
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Man Found Criminally Responsible for Sexual Abuse While He Was School Bus Driver
