Bus monitor gets 2 life sentences for molesting children
MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) -- A former bus monitor with the Magnolia Independent School District will likely spend the rest of his life as a Texas prisoner.
A judge sentenced Matthew Turner Curry, 41, to two life sentences plus another 30 years. Curry pled guilty to five cases, including aggravated sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography.
Curry pled guilty to sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl while employed as a bus monitor for children with special needs.
Prosecutors said he assaulted the girl on the bus and recorded the act.
"Members of the community who are like Matthew Curry, we want them to know that we are not going to tolerate this type of behavior," said Donna Berky with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. "People who trade, possess, and create child pornography and who hurt children in Montgomery County will be dealt with accordingly."
In an Eyewitness News exclusive Tuesday, the little girl's mother broke her silence. She said the Magnolia Independent School District owes the community an explanation about what happened to her daughter.
"I didn't understand how it could happen on a school bus of all places. Over the course of two months, it happened so there were several occasions it was happening on that school bus, a special needs school bus. I was angry. I was mad. It was hard," said the mother. "This is not over. Magnolia ISD needs to do an investigation into what happened on that bus. They owe it to my daughter. They owe it all the children in Magnolia ISD."
The mother's attorney, Derek Causey, said the district hasn't been forthcoming with information.
"There's no denying that it happened," said Causey. "An explanation is due as to how it happened and what they knew if anything or what they should have known and what they failed to do to stop it if they did in fact know. That's what we're in the process of getting to the bottom of."
Eyewitness News reached out multiple times to Magnolia ISD for an interview and with specific questions. So far, they've only issued short written statements.
In February 2018, the district released the following to ABC13.
"Magnolia ISD was notified on Friday, December 28 by Montgomery County Precinct 5 Constable's Office that Matthew Curry, a bus driver, was arrested at his home. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of all students and any deviation from this expectation will not be tolerated."
Tuesday morning after being contacted by Eyewitness News, the district said they had no additional comment.
Shortly after, they released the following statement:
"Magnolia ISD believes justice has been served in this case. Our partnership with law enforcement resulted in this conviction which removed a predator from our community."
