A former Granite School District bus driver in West Valley has admitted in federal court that he intentionally set a school bus on fire while he was driving it, according to prosecutors. Michael Austin Ford, 60, recently changed his plea after acknowledging he used a cigarette lighter to ignite components under the bus dashboard on April 7, 2023. Prosecutors say he is also separately accused of starting a different school bus fire in February 2022 while students were aboard. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1 in federal court in Salt Lake City.
What Prosecutors Say The Video Shows
Federal prosecutors say surveillance video from the April 7, 2023, ride shows Ford holding a thumb-strike lighter and setting electrical components under the dashboard on fire, then continuing to drive as smoke drifted toward the back of the bus. That ride led to a federal indictment charging him with two counts of arson of a vehicle of an organization that receives federal funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Earlier Incident And State Charges
State charging documents describe an earlier incident on Feb. 24, 2022, when a school bus carrying children was filled with smoke. Students reported smelling smoke, and one child was treated for smoke inhalation, according to the probable-cause declaration. Local prosecutors later filed multiple aggravated arson counts and an aggravated child abuse charge, as reported by KSL.
Investigation And School Response
Investigators with the Utah State Fire Marshal examined the April 2023 bus and concluded the blaze was incendiary. Court documents say Ford tried to tamper with the bus surveillance system in the days before that fire. After the investigation began, the Granite School District fired Ford. District bus-shop staff say they repaired the onboard cameras so the system would keep recording, a fix that helped capture the fire on video, according to FOX 13.
Prosecutors' Message To The Community
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said she wants Ford to receive, in her words, “a term of imprisonment that will protect our community.” She delivered that message in an interview with FOX 13 after Ford entered his new plea in court.
Charges And Court Calendar
The federal indictment was unsealed in February 2024 and was filed alongside ongoing state prosecutions. The ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have been involved in the federal case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. State filings ask judges to view Ford as a danger to the public and request no-bail holds. Ford is set to return to court for sentencing on June 1 in Salt Lake City, where both the federal and state dockets will determine what happens next, according to the Salt Lake County DA.
Why The Case Matters Locally
Prosecutors point to a pattern of suspicious fires, including incidents at two residences and a vehicle tied to Ford, as evidence that he posed an unacceptable risk to students and the public, according to the county’s probable-cause filing from the Salt Lake County DA. The June 1 sentencing is expected to be the next major chance for the courts to impose punishment and for the school district to describe any additional steps it is taking to protect students who rely on bus transportation.
