A former contracted Boise School District bus driver was convicted Tuesday on five felony child sex crime charges, an Ada County jury finding Kayden Peterson, 29, guilty of abuse that court documents allege stretched across several years. Peterson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2027.
The jury convicted Peterson on one count of sexual abuse of a child under 16, three counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, and one count of sexual battery of a minor between 16 and 17 years old, according to Idaho News 6. Authorities said the victim knew Peterson outside of his work as a bus driver, and court documents previously obtained by the station alleged the abuse occurred over several years. Peterson was arrested by the Ada County Sheriff's Office in April.
Allegations Dated Back to When Victim Was 9 or 10
When Peterson was arraigned in April, the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney's Office alleged he sexually abused the victim starting when they were 9 or 10 years old and continuing until the victim was 16 or 17, according to The Idaho Statesman. A judge set Peterson's bail at $500,000 at that time and issued a no-contact order concerning the victim, the newspaper reported. The Boise School District said at the time that it had received no reports of any kind about Peterson.
Following his arrest, the district said Peterson was no longer permitted to work under its transportation contract, per the same Idaho News 6 account. The station reported that Peterson previously worked as a contracted bus driver for the district before his arrest.
District Detailed Routes Peterson Drove Before Arrest
A separate report from Idaho News identified the specific routes and dates Peterson worked while under contract with the district. The district said Peterson drove routes between March 27 and April 7, the day he was arrested, according to Idaho News. That reporting specified he drove AM Route 713, which served Hillside Junior High, Boise High School, and Lincoln Early Learning Center.
The district also said Peterson had passed a criminal background check before being assigned to drive for Durham School Services, the contractor through which he worked, according to the same Idaho News report. District officials reiterated that they had not received any reports about Peterson during his time assigned to the district.
