A Jordan School District bus driver is facing felony charges after his own family reported him to police, alleging he used his cell phone to record a 10-year-old girl riding his bus earlier this month. Gabriele Basile, identified as 64, was arrested Wednesday morning in Herriman and booked on two counts of voyeurism involving a child under 14, along with a misdemeanor charge for using a wireless device while driving.
According to Gephardt Daily, Herriman police arrested Basile after family members reported that he had used his phone to record the girl while he was driving. Arrest documents cited by the outlet listed his age as 64. The alleged recording took place on Oct. 8, according to KSL.com, which reported that Basile recorded the girl while driving the bus that day.
Per the Herriman police report cited by The Salt Lake Tribune, the video showed the child's skirt and underwear as she sat in the first seat to Basile's right while he drove. The same report described Basile turning the camera toward his own face before turning it back toward the child. ABC4 reported that the recording ran approximately 33 seconds and showed up the girl's skirt.
Girl Didn't Notice the Camera, Police Say
The child did not appear to notice that Basile was recording her, according to Gephardt Daily's account of the police report. KSL.com reported that detectives later found a second video of the same child among Basile's deleted files during the course of the investigation.
The case came to light not through outside witnesses but through Basile's own household. The Tribune reported that Basile's wife discovered the video on the couple's shared Google account, and that he later cleared his phone after she confronted him about it.
A Vow to Report Himself, Then Silence
Per the Tribune's reporting, Basile vowed to report himself to the school district and resign, but he did not follow through on that promise. His wife then instructed their daughter to call police, according to the same report, and the daughter's call to detectives set the investigation in motion.
The station's report notes that Basile's wife had separately asked their daughter to report the incident and provide the video after he failed to come forward on his own. Police went on to serve a search warrant on Basile's phone before placing him under arrest, the same account states.
No Bail, No Job
Basile was booked on investigation of two third-degree felony voyeurism counts tied to a child under 14, along with a class C misdemeanor for using a wireless device while operating a vehicle, according to Gephardt Daily. He was ordered held without bail, the outlet reported.
Jordan School District confirmed that Basile is no longer employed with the district, ABC4 reported. The allegations against him remain unproven, and no further details about the bus route, the school the child attends, or the exact location of the alleged recording have been made public.
