A Hesperia man, who drove a school bus as his day job, now sits in the back seat of the legal system after being charged with possession of a massive trove of child sexual abuse material. Donal James Seaver, 49, was ordered jailed without bond following his initial appearance in federal court in Riverside, the Justice Department said.
Seaver was busted after law enforcement served a search warrant at his home on March 7. Prying into Seaver's digital life, they found a Samsung Tablet chock-full of more than 10,000 illicit images and several videos of child exploitation. The device, as they discovered, had been frequently scrubbed clean with factory resets, the most recent wipe occurring on February 27, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
The discovery has struck a nerve, given Seaver's employment involving daily duties shuttling around 10 elementary school students with special needs. Up until his arrest on March 7, Seaver was driving for a private company, a position of trust now deeply tainted by the allegations against him.
"A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," reads the formal reminder from the Justice Department. If Seaver's trial turns against him, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison. Previously hitting a dead end in state court, the case has now revved up to federal attention, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy of the Justice Department provided the details of the case, noting the federal magistrate judge's decision to keep Seaver locked up, which certainly offers little solace to parents unnerved by the accusations lodged against a man once trusted to drive their children to school. Seaver's arraignment is circled on the calendar for April 16. For anyone following this unsettling ride, the journey is far from over.
