Judge rules in trial of former Fresno school bus driver accused of child molestation
Jeffrey Sipes, the former school bus driver charged with child molestation and possessing child pornography, was found guilty Wednesday by Fresno County Judge Gary D. Hoff.
Sipes, 57, was convicted on two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, plus rape, and sexual penetration with a foreign object. He also pleaded no contest to two counts of child pornography.
Sentencing is set for April 8 in Hoff’s courtroom. He faces up to 32 years and eight months in prison.
Prosecutor Kaitlin Drake said she was pleased with the judge’s decision. “The People are happy and I’m also looking forward to telling the victim,” Drake said.
During the trial, defense attorney Eric Schweitzer’s questioned the truthfulness of the victim’s testimony, alleging the child had been coached to tell police Sipes had committed the molestation.
Hoff saw it differently, calling the victim’s testimony “compelling.” The judge also found Sipes’s collection of hundreds of photos and videos showing underage girls in sexual situations as corroborating evidence he molested the victim.
Sipes, who worked as a bus driver for nearly 20 years, spending most of his career at Fresno Unified, was arrested in 2017 after Fresno police received a tip from the federal Internet Crimes against Children task force.
Investigators said emails containing child pornography had been received and downloaded in the Fresno area. Those emails were traced straight to Sipes’s home computer.
While Sipes admitted the child porn was his, detectives also got information that Sipes may have also molested a child. The alleged molestation took place from the time the victim was four years old until age 15.
Schweitzer argued Sipes was the victim of false allegations created by a vengeful ex.
“This is a flimsy case based on bad memories, glimpses and flashes,” he said.
But Drake said the charges against Sipes weren’t concocted, they were based on real events. She said the allegations about child molestation would not have come out had Sipes not been arrested for child pornography.
The victim testified about being afraid to tell anyone and kept the molestation private for years.
It was only after being questioned by detectives that the victim revealed Sipes committed the sexual abuse, Drake said.
During her closing arguments, Drake said it was clear Sipes enjoyed watching videos or looking at pictures of young girls engaged in sex acts with adult men.
“His interest in child pornography and young female children showed his propensity to commit those same acts on Jane Doe,” Drake said.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 5:07 PM.
