May 28, 2009 11:52 pm US/Eastern
Police: NJ Bus Driver Sexually Assaulted Student
Accused, 74, Accused Of Molesting 12-Year-Old Girl
Reporting
Lou Young
HOPATCONG, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Morris County school bus driver Edward M. Comperchio, 74, was arrested late Wednesday night, accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old female student on his bus.
CBS
The white haired retired businessman works part-time as a school bus driver but could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted on the charges he now faces.
Edward Comperchio, 74, was arrested Thursday for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl on the school bus he drives. The victim is a sixth grader at Mount Arlington School in Morris County. The girl said Comperchio attacked her inside the parked bus in sessions that took place before he drove his usual route.
Details of the assault contained in the written complaint brought gasps of disbelief from Comperchio's neighbors in Hopatcong in nearby Sussex County. He lives in one of a series of neat row houses among neighbors who said they're ready to give him the benefit of a doubt. For the past 14 years, they said they've known him as a husband, father, grandfather and generally nice guy.
Details in the written criminal complaint are enough to bring a grimace to the faces of those who know Comperchio. Husband, father, grandfather, friend … not just a nice guy, we're told.
"Very nice guy," next-door neighbor Bill Rixos said as he looked over the criminal complaint on Thursday night. "I am very surprised."
Rose Marie Stuartevant said she's known "Ed" for years and believes there has to be more to the allegation than what the prosecutor is alleging.
"I have grandchildren of my own," she said. "And there's children here (in the neighborhood) but I wouldn't presume guilty until all the facts are known."
Britt Loset, who serves on a community board with Comperchio, put it more bluntly.
"I still find it hard to believe that he could or would do something like this. It is just beyond my comprehension," Loset said.
Bail has been set at $100,000 and Comperchio has been ordered to avoid children under 16. Charges include sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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