Gwinnett County Special Needs Bus Driver Sentenced to Prison for On-Board Molestation

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A 67-year-old former Gwinnett County Schools special needs bus driver has been sentenced to prison after a judge convicted him of sexually stimulating himself on a school bus while elementary students were on board, prosecutors announced.

Steven Edward Wilkins was found guilty of six counts of Child Molestation and four counts of Public Indecency following a bench trial before Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hamil. He was sentenced to a 20-year term, with five years to be served in state prison.

As part of his sentence, Wilkins is permanently prohibited from having contact with minors and must register as a child sex offender for life.

Parent’s Report Uncovers Video Evidence

The investigation was launched on February 9, 2023, when a parent who was walking her child to the bus noticed Wilkins behaving suspiciously and immediately reported the incident to school officials.

The report prompted the Gwinnett County Schools Police Department to pull the internal video monitoring footage from the bus. During the trial, prosecutors from the Gwinnett District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) presented four different days of video evidence recorded between January 31 and February 9, 2023.

The onboard camera footage captured Wilkins pulling out a mobile tablet and masturbating for periods ranging from two minutes up to 20 minutes while idling in the bus lane at Suwanee Elementary School. On every occasion captured by the cameras, at least one special needs student was present on the bus.

During the proceedings, prosecutors also revealed the chilling detail that Wilkins regularly portrayed Santa Claus at a local area church during the holidays.

Statement from the District Attorney: Following the guilty verdict and sentencing, District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson released a statement condemning the abuse of trust:

“This is absolutely reprehensible behavior and will not be taken lightly. We are committed to protecting all victims, particularly those who are most vulnerable. This defendant will be monitored closely for the next 20 years and held accountable for the rest of his life.”