Daniel Iles, 32, of Rossie, was arraigned and released after being charged with two counts of public lewdness and two counts of child endangerment, according to WWNY. Jefferson County investigators allege that he exposed himself while driving alongside an Indian River school bus on Sept. 15 and Sept. 22.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the first alleged incident occurred Sept. 15, when Iles was driving next to an Indian River school bus in the northbound lane of Interstate 81 in the Town of Watertown, according to wwnytv.com. The station reported that a 16-year-old student on the bus said they saw the man fondling himself.
A second allegation followed on Sept. 22, in the same stretch of I-81 in the Town of Watertown. A 16-year-old passenger reported that incident, according to the same account; officials were unsure whether the same student witnessed both alleged exposures.
Bus footage helped investigators identify a suspect
Indian River school resource officers reviewed footage from the buses' surveillance cameras. WWNY reported that the cameras captured a license plate number that led investigators to Iles, and that officials said the footage corroborated the students' accounts.
Western Mass News also reported that investigators used the bus footage to help identify a suspect.
Illegal school-bus passing is a broader safety concern
The allegations in this case are distinct from illegal passing of stopped school buses. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, citing the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, estimates that about 50,000 motorists pass stopped school buses with red lights flashing statewide each school day. The department also cites a 2024 one-day survey in which 892 participating school bus drivers reported almost 2,000 vehicles illegally passing their buses.
Iles was arraigned on the charges and released, as reported by WWNY. No further court date, plea, or attorney information has been made public.
