A 76-year-old Bixby Public Schools bus aide has been charged with two counts of lewd molestation involving a special-needs student, and a warrant is now out for his arrest. Juan Mendoza was fired after a bus driver raised concerns, but he was never booked into jail. The case, built in part on school bus surveillance video, is still moving through the system.
Tulsa County prosecutors filed the charges against Mendoza, according to News On 6. Investigators say surveillance video shows Mendoza molesting the same student on the bus more than once, including an earlier instance roughly a month before the most recent one. The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office said the charges followed a Bixby Police Department investigation.
What Court Documents Say the Video Shows
Court documents describe surveillance video from September 16 showing Mendoza blocking the student from walking down the aisle of the bus and groping her chest. Other footage reportedly shows Mendoza helping the student get on the bus and to her seat while grabbing and holding her chest. Per the same account, he told the student, “go to your seat, go to your seat, good girl.”
The court documents also say the video then shows Mendoza standing over the student and thrusting his fingers into her mouth. These are allegations drawn from charging documents and investigators' descriptions of the footage, and Mendoza has not been convicted of anything.
A Driver Spoke Up, and the District Moved
It started when a Bixby school bus driver told his supervisor that an interaction between Mendoza and a student made him uncomfortable, per the court documents. Bixby Public Schools received the driver's report on Wednesday, October 21, according to an earlier News On 6 report. The district said it immediately notified Bixby Police, the Department of Human Services and the State Department of Education, and launched its own investigation.
The district fired Mendoza after the incident was reported. Bixby's superintendent said the district appreciated the driver's attentiveness and willingness to report concerns through appropriate channels.
No Jail Booking, Then a Warrant
Mendoza was not booked into jail last week because of a “pre-existing medical condition” and was instead sent home. After the charges were filed, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Details beyond that, including a court date or bond, were not available.
Mendoza worked as a Bixby Public Schools bus driver from 2016 to 2024, then left for a different school district. The district said he started working as a bus aide in August.
The District Attorney's Office said the criminal case is ongoing and requires further investigation, and that it plans to prosecute and present evidence in court. As the office noted, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
