A driver contracted to transport students for Northwest Local School District has been convicted of groping a young girl inside his vehicle, capping an 18-month legal saga that began when the elementary schooler herself said he should not have touched her. Steffen Yates was found guilty Wednesday of one count of gross sexual imposition following a bench trial, though the judge acquitted him of a second count tied to the same March 2025 incident.
According to WKRC, Yates groped the girl while she was in a contracted transportation vehicle, tickling her and touching her inappropriately inside her clothing. The station reports that Yates promised the child a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos if she kept quiet about what happened, but according to court papers cited in the same report, Yates instead claimed the girl demanded the snack or would falsely accuse him of touching her. The girl told him he should not have touched her, and surveillance video apparently corroborated her account, undercutting Yates's version of events.
How the Investigation Began
The case originated on March 18, 2025, when the Colerain Township Police Department's Criminal Investigative Unit opened a formal investigation after Northwest Local School District reported that a Struble Elementary student had been inappropriately touched by her contracted transportation driver, according to a post shared in a local Facebook group. School resource officers helped identify Yates as the suspect before charges were filed in Hamilton County.
Struble Elementary serves 807 students in grades K through 5. Northwest Local School District is a public district serving Colerain and nearby townships and operating multiple schools.
Why a Contracted Driver Was Behind the Wheel
Yates was driving a contracted vehicle rather than serving as a direct district bus operator, the report notes. Ohio has faced bus-driver shortages, while school districts in other places have used third-party transportation providers.
Mandatory Prison Presumption and Sentencing Ahead
Yates has been held on a $300,000 bond since March 2026 and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05, gross sexual imposition is ordinarily a fourth-degree felony, but the statute elevates the charge to a third-degree felony whenever the victim is under 13 years old, according to Ohio's codified laws.
For offenses in this category, a third-degree felony gross sexual imposition conviction involving a victim under 13 can bring a prison term ranging from 9 to 60 months, along with fines up to $10,000, per an analysis from The Botnick Law Firm. Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05(C)(2) establishes a statutory presumption in favor of a prison term for gross sexual imposition under divisions (A)(4) or (B).
Separately, Ohio's SORN law sets registration requirements for sex offenses, with tiers and durations varying by offense.
Yates is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2.
