Oklahoma City School Bus Driver Terminated For Raping 14-Year-Old

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City School Board followed the law Monday night and held a due process hearing for district bus driver Demetrius Thomas, who was found guilty of sexual assaulting a minor.

Because of the Oklahoma law, the school district could not fire Thomas without an evidentiary hearing. After a 20 minute hearing, the board terminated Thomas' employment. Thomas had requested the hearing, but he was unable to attend because he is currently a prisoner in the Pottawatomie County jail.

In August Thomas pleaded guilty to the second-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl he met over the Internet. He received a 10 year sentence with all but six months suspended.

Board member Gail Vines said the Thomas case prompts second thoughts about the requirement of a due process hearing in a case like this.

"Laws need to be reviewed and revisited, and this is certainly one that needs to be. From my perspective, if this gentleman pled guilty or was found guilty, then he has had his due process through the court system," Vines said. "Some of my final thoughts last night was, I wonder how much this cost the taxpayers."

Thomas had driven buses for the district since 2005. He was arrested in January.