School van driver pleads guilty to sexually assaulting student with special needs

PITTSBURGH — A school van driver accused of sexually assaulting a student with special needs made a surprise guilty plea in court Tuesday.

Channel 11 was with Patty Fowler in October when her daughter, Hannah, stood in front of a judge at the Allegheny County Courthouse and refused to except the plea deal that was on the table. She wanted a jury trial for Tucker.

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"I need to put this behind me," Fowler said.

Tucker was Hannah's bus driver in December of 2017 when he allegedly sexually assaulted her just a few streets from the Children's Institute where she goes to school.

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The jury was set to be picked Monday for Tucker's trial.  He told the judge he would plead guilty to four misdemeanors to avoid trial and Fowler agreed with that.

"Hannah's really affected by this, we've been really affected by this, it's been a long 14 months and we're so happy to see it end," she said.

Tucker pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts and will be sentenced May 8. He now faces 10 years in prison and Fowler can focus on what she says is the bigger issue.

She's working with local politicians on legislation that would get cameras and aides on all buses that transport special needs children.

"I really wanted this disaster and this horrific occurrence to become something positive," Fowler said.

Fowler now drives her daughter to and from school every day since she says no changes have been made since her assault.

Cox Media Group