Driving teacher arrested on suspicion of sex crimes

A driving instructor was arrested in Escondido on Thursday in connection with a string of sex crimes allegedly committed during driving lessons with multiple female students, according to police.

Police said Richard “Joseph” Banks, 50, had been working for American Driving School, on Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon, when he sexually assaulted or molested 11 students from April to November of last year, according to San Diego police Capt. Mike Holden. Most victims were 15 to 17 years old.

The alleged assaults occurred throughout North County, but the latest reported incident occurred in the San Diego Police Department’s jurisdiction, Holden said.

Banks is also accused of using secret cameras hidden in the instructional car to record girls’ private areas during lessons, investigators said.

“His actions are his alone, and they violate the trust and policies of our company and those of the DMV regarding inappropriate behavior,” the driving school’s owner, David Tackett, said in a statement. “He was immediately suspended when we were notified by the San Diego Police Department in November about the investigation.”

Tackett said Banks had passed a government background check before he was hired.

Investigators booked Banks into Vista Jail on 32 charges, including suspicion of child abuse and molestation, sexual battery, possession and production of child sexual abuse material, and installation and use of a surreptitious recording device, according to online arrest records.

Holden said investigators believe there may be more victims. He asked anyone with information to contact the police at (858) 538-8026 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.