MIAMI – A school bus driver is behind bars after sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl, authorities said.
The incident was Tuesday afternoon in the 2300 block of Southwest Seventh Street in Miami.
According to his arrest report, Marcelo Ortega, 67, parked the bus, and then kissed the victim on the lips, touched her vagina, and exposed his penis to her.
Ortega faced a judge on Friday and was given no bond as the judge read through the disturbing police report.
“This was a very astute little girl, she came forward. We don’t know how many other times he may have done this and the time for anyone to come forward is actually right now.
Officer Kenia Fallat, a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department, said the victim told her sister what happened, which led to the sister contacting the bus owner. The owner then called her husband, who is the co-owner of the bus service, and told him to meet with the victim and her sister on the bus.
Police said the victim explained what happened to the co-owner and he then dropped the sisters off at home.
The police report states that when the victim was taken to the University of Miami’s Child Protection Team, she told them that Ortega kissed her in the mouth, touched her vagina and buttocks under her clothing, pulled his pants down to expose his penis, and then gave her mangoes and chips before instructing her not to tell anyone what happened.
“This is what your dad looks like,” Ortega told the girl, according to the police report.
On Thursday, detectives went to Ortega’s home, but he declined to speak with them until he had an attorney present, authorities said.
Ortega was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation on a minor, lewd and lascivious conduct on a child, and lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child.
Ortega’s neighbors and some of his friends who saw him get arrested said that Ortega told them he quit his job a few days prior to getting arrested. Ortega told his neighbors that he had gotten into some sort of fight and that, this is why he allegedly quit, but now neighbors know the real reason why.
He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Police are hoping any potential additional victims will come forward.