School bus driver gets life in assaults

A 41-year-old school bus driver has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of two children.

Matthew Turner Curry of Magnolia pleaded guilty Oct. 21 in five criminal cases. State District Judge Phil Grant sentenced Curry to two consecutive life sentences for aggravated sexual assault and 10 years on three counts of possession of child pornography. Neither life sentence will begin until the end of the previous sentence, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

A 6-year-old girl in December said she was being inappropriately fondled by an unknown male, identified later by sheriff ’s investigators as Curry. The investigation determined Curry had photographed and filmed himself sexually assaulting a 4-year-old special needs child on the Magnolia ISD school bus that he was tasked with monitoring, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutor Brittney Aaron said in a statement that Curry “memorialized” the child’s victimization by recording them and sharing them online.

Curry “will never have an opportunity to spread his filth again, but our local law enforcement agencies will not stop with just him. They will continue to pursue those who would try to share and trade images of our children,” Aaron said. “We are also thankful for a 6-year-old girl who was smart enough to run away and whose bravery helped us stop this defendant.”