A Whittier bus driver has been arrested and charged with a felony count of dependent adult abuse six months after a 19-year-old autistic student was found dead in the back of his bus.
The incident occurred Sept. 11 of last year when summer temperatures in the area approached 100 degrees. Prosecutors say the driver, Armando Abel Ramirez, failed to conduct a cursory check of the vehicle before assuming that the non-verbal teen, Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, had exited to go to school. He consequently dropped the bus off at its yard with Lee inside, causing the young man to eventually die from overheating.
Ramirez now faces a maximum of 9 years in jail if convicted. Lee’s parents have also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school district and the bus company, alleging that the driver parked the bus and locked Lee inside.
Read more about the recent arrest here.