NM State Police: School bus driver raped girl, 7, inside school bus

A school bus driver in Northern New Mexico is accused of raping a 7-year-old girl inside a school bus, said New Mexico State Police.

On May 9, 2019, investigators arrested 66-year-old Stephen George Meek, of Tierra Amarilla, and charged him with Criminal Sexual Penetration in the 1st Degree and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Enticement of a Child.

Police said Meek is a school bus driver for the Chama Independent School District.

Police said an initial investigation indicates that on May 8, 2019, Meek was transporting students home after school in a Chama School bus.

The seven-year-old victim was the only student left on the bus after all other students were dropped off. Meek pulled the bus to the side of the road on US Highway 84 and raped the girl, police said.

A motorist passing by saw the bus pulled over, concerned the bus was experiencing mechanical problems. The motorist turned around to check on the bus, only to see it drive off.

A short time later, the motorist saw the bus pull off the road a second time. The motorist stopped to check on the bus driver, and as the motorist got out of the vehicle, Meek allegedly waved the motorist off and drove away.

The concerned motorist, who knew the victim and her family, called them and alerted them to what he or she saw.

When the victim got home, she told her family that Meek had raped her, police said.

The victim was taken to the hospital for an exam, which indicated she had been raped.

Meek remains jailed without bond.