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Spa bus driver faces touching charges

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
Thursday, February 14, 2008

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The arrest of a city school district bus driver for allegedly forcing sexual contact on two 14-year-old boys shocked parents on Thursday -- and police say there may be additional victims in Mechanicville.
     
Douglas Conrad, 35, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he allegedly fondled two teenagers against their will after school visits to his apartment at 151 Jefferson St.
At the same time, Saratoga Springs police were working with the Mechanicville Police Department to investigate allegations of additional alleged victims in that city.
Mechanicville Police Chief Joseph Waldron said his department had reopened a probe looking into complaints that in 2002 Conrad illegally touched a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old at his aunt's home-based day-care operation.
Mechanicville police did not have enough evidence to prosecute Conrad at the time, Waldron said.
In Saratoga Springs, Conrad is accused of four misdemeanor counts of forcible touching, stemming from three separate instances at his apartment last year in which he fondled two teenagers, according to police and court documents.
Conrad was arraigned by City Court Judge Douglas Mills. He is expected to be back in court on March 18.
Conrad began work at Saratoga Springs schools in 2004. He drives 60 students on two bus runs daily, school officials said.
The news of the arrest of someone entrusted with transporting students alarmed Don Powell, whose 13-year-old son and 11-year-old girl rode on Conrad's bus.
"It hurts to know that it's as close to home as your doorstep," said Powell, 52, of Geyser Crest. He expected neighbors "to be a little upset like I am."
Early indications are that Conrad did not engage in illegal contact on either a bus or school grounds, Lt. Gregory Veitch of the Saratoga Springs Police Department said.
Conrad was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, said Tom Mele, assistant superintendent for elementary education at the Saratoga Springs City School District.
Court papers say Conrad first made inappropriate physical contact with the two teens at his apartment at about 8 p.m. April 1. More alleged forced contact took place there on the evenings of Sept. 1 and Sept. 27, the records say.
Like with all bus drivers, the city school district checked Conrad's criminal history going back 10 years, took his finger print, and screened him for drugs and alcohol, Mele said.
Conrad was represented by a public defender Thursday in City Court. The attorney said Conrad would likely post the $2,500 cash bail to get out of jail.
If convicted, Conrad faces up to a year in jail for each count.

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MECHANICVILLE
Probe of school bus driver widens
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter

    The arrest of a school bus driver in Saratoga Springs has triggered an investigation in this city, where 35-year-old Douglas Conrad used to live.
    Mechanicville police are revisiting allegations made in 2002 by two children who stayed at the home day care of Conrad’s aunt, and also looking into unrelated possible abuse in the last 18 months, Mechanicville Police Chief Joseph Waldron said.
    At the time in 2002, authorities couldn’t press charges because there was no physical evidence indicating Conrad exposed himself to a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old whose family came forward.
    “Unfortunately in these cases, you have to rely on a lot of physical evidence instead of witness testimony, because you’re talking about 4- and 6-year-olds,” Waldron said, adding that Conrad cooperated “up to a certain point” in that investigation.
    Conrad was charged on Wednesday with four counts of misdemeanor forcible touching of teenage boys at his home in Saratoga Springs.
    Saratoga Springs police said he touched the genitals and buttocks of two 14-year-old boys last year at his apartment.
    Conrad is free on bail. He has been placed on paid administrative leave from his job as a bus driver for the Saratoga Springs City School District pending an internal investigation by the school district.
    So far, police said, none of the allegations stem from Conrad’s time at work.
    The Saratoga Springs investigation has led to additional allegations of possible sexual abuse in Mechanicville during 2006 and 2007, Waldron said.
    Mechanicville police are looking into those allegations to determine whether enough evidence exists to press charges, Waldron said. Investigators are asking other potential victims to come forward.
    Waldron said Conrad worked at one time at the Mechanicville Area Community Center, where he would have had contact with children.
    Conrad lived on Jefferson Street in Saratoga Springs from 1997 to 2000 before moving to Mechanicville with his aunt at 19 Saratoga Ave., Waldron said. He also lived at another address in the city before moving back to Saratoga Springs sometime in the last several years.
    Conrad was living with his aunt when the parents of the young children went to authorities, Waldron said.
    The statute of limitations has likely passed on filing an exposure charge from 2002, Waldron said, but investigators will interview the boys to learn whether there was any contact.
    “What we want to do is speak with the kids again and make sure that besides the exposure there was no physical contact,” he said. “If the children come forward like that, we want to encourage them and we want to support them.”
    One of the boy’s parents claims there was physical contact.
    Friday, the parents of the 6-year-old boy, who aren’t being identified to maintain their child’s anonymity, said the boy told them Conrad made him touch Conrad during the exposure. The boy is now 12.
    The parents claim they spent $20,000 in Saratoga County Family Court obtaining a protection order against Conrad, whom they didn’t know before their son made the allegations. A letter from Saratoga County Department of Social Services dating from May 2002 notes Conrad is “indicated,” meaning some credible evidence was found to determine that the children were sexually abused, according to an accompanying letter.
    The boy’s father is angry that Conrad was allowed to be around children after authorities knew about the allegations against him.
    “We don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” the father said. “I think the parents should know that the county knew about it.”
    The parents said their son has been through therapy for years and will probably face more due to the recent charge and surrounding publicity that will likely prompt painful memories.
    “Their son asked them today: ‘If they believed me six years ago, would those kids have gotten harmed?’ ” said John Aretakis, a lawyer who specializes in sexual abuse cases and is representing the couple.

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Like with all bus drivers, the city school district checked Conrad's criminal history going back 10 years, took his finger print, and screened him for drugs and alcohol, Mele said.

Say no to RealID and the like.....NOTHING AND NO ONE CAN PREDICT WHAT PEOPLE DO.....I say, what is the consequence, not what is the prequel!!!

Mr.Spitzer
Mr.Bruno
Mr.Silver
Mr.Tedisco
Mr.Amedore
and the rest of ya'll.......

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Abuse suspect now not receiving paycheck
School district steps up action
BY TATIANA ZARNOWSKI Gazette Reporter

    Douglas Conrad now has been suspended without pay from his job as a city school bus driver, two weeks after being charged with fondling two teenage boys.
    He was suspended with pay from his Feb. 13 arrest until Monday , when he was taken off the Saratoga Springs City School District’s payroll, Superintendent Janice White said Wednesday.
    An internal school district investigation into the case continues, she said. White would not comment on whether the investigation revealed any inappropriate behavior by Conrad during his workday or on the school bus.
    He was hired in 2004. Conrad, 35, is charged with four counts of forcible touching, a misdemeanor, for allegedly touching two 14-year-old boys at his Jefferson Street apartment.
    The mother of one of the boys was charged Tuesday with endangering the welfare of a child after police said she knew about the alleged abuse and didn’t report it immediately.
    Meanwhile, a state legislator has proposed a bill that he said would close a loophole revealed by the case. But the legislation that Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Schenectady, plans to introduce this week would not have changed matters in the Conrad case, White contends.
    “The situation that we’re currently faced with would not change,” she said.
    The proposed amendment would be beneficial by allowing school nurses to check a state child abuse database if a child makes an allegation of abuse, White said. Finding out quickly that the alleged abuser was characterized, or “indicated,” in the past as a potential abuser could make the case more urgent and fast-track an investigation by county social services workers by giving them more information up front, White admitted.
    But that likely would not have altered the current situation, White said.
    The bill would not give school officials access to the State Central Registry as a background check tool.
    Conrad was indicated in 2002 as a potential abuser after two children whom his aunt baby-sat in Mechanicville alleged that he exposed himself to them. Police never filed criminal charges against Conrad because they said there was no physical evidence of the alleged exposure.

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Former Saratoga bus driver faces new sex charges in Mechanicville
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
By J. Jude Hazard (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

MECHANICVILLE — New charges have been filed in Mechanicville against the former Saratoga Springs school bus driver accused of sexually abusing several boys.
Douglas Conrad, 35, has been charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child for an alleged incident involving a 12-year-old boy.
Police said they have evidence that Conrad sexually abused a boy under the age of 14 in 2007 while Conrad was living in an apartment on Frances Street. Police Chief Joseph Waldron wouldn't say what kind of evidence police had, but did say that it was more than just statements from victims or witnesses.
"We're continuing to follow other leads," he said. "We're still questioning people to this day, even [on possible incidents] as far back as 2002."
Conrad is currently free on bail. Under an agreement between his attorney and City Court, he will appear at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, to face the new charges.
James Wiley, 60, who is Conrad's cousin and was his roommate at the time, was also charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Wiley also lived with Conrad in Saratoga Springs and was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy there just after Conrad was initially arrested.
Wiley is also scheduled to appear in City Court on Wednesday, March 12, to answer the new charges.

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Molestation case gets special prosecutor
Thursday, March 13, 2008

BALLSTON SPA - Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan has been named special prosecutor in a Saratoga County molestation case against James Wiley.
     
Wiley, 60, was charged with committing a sexual act against a minor, a felony. The incident allegedly happened two years ago at the Mechanicville apartment where Wiley was living. The mother of the two teenage victims also faces charges and Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy cannot prosecute a defendant who is also a witness in another case concerning the same subject matter.
The woman faces charges because she placed her children in Wiley's care even though she knew or should have known the boys would be at risk, Murphy said.
Former Albany District Attorney Paul Cline was originally tapped as the special prosecutor but he has a scheduling conflict, Murphy said. There is no cost to Saratoga County for Hogan's services. She will travel to Ballston Spa to try the case against Wiley.
Wiley's roommate, former Saratoga Springs school district bus driver Douglas Conrad, 35, faces misdemeanor sex abuse charges because of his alleged involvement with the boys.

http://www.wnyt.com

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Bus driver facing charges was once teacher's aide

SARATOGA SPRINGS - NewsChannel 13 and our news partner, The Post-Star, have uncovered new information about the school bus driver accused of forcibly touching teenaged boys.

The Saratoga Springs School District, in response to a freedom of information request from The Post-Star, says 35-year-old Douglas Conrad also worked as a substitute teacher's aide in the district for a brief time in January 2002.

The school says Conrad never disclosed that information to the district when he applied for a bus driver position in 2004.

NewsChannel 13 has also learned that Conrad resigned from the school at the end of February.

Conrad is facing sex abuse charges in Saratoga Springs and Mechanicville. Police say he abused three teenaged boys, including one disabled boy he met on his bus.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Carney named special prosecutor
Friday, March 21, 2008
By Kathy Parker (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

BALLSTON SPA — Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney has been appointed to prosecute the mother of two young boys allegedly molested by a pair of Saratoga Springs men.

Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III said Carney was appointed this week. It's the third time a lawyer from outside of the county was called upon to handle the case.

Former Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne had been appointed, but later resigned because of a scheduling conflict. Then, Warren County district attorney Kate Hogan was appointed, but voluntarily withdrew from the case.

The Daily Gazette is not identifying the woman because it would reveal the names of the victims in an alleged sexual assault.

Court documents allege that the woman knew her child was being abused by Jefferson Street roommates, but she did not report the abuse to authorities in a timely manner.

Murphy said the appointment of a special prosecutor relieved his office of a conflict of interest in prosecuting the men because the woman and her children are all witness against them.

Douglas Conrad, 35, a former Saratoga Springs City School bus driver who has since resigned, has been charged with six counts of forcible touching involving three separate incidents, all class-A misdemeanors. Wiley, 60, has been charged with a criminal sex act.

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MECHANICVILLE
Former school bus driver could face additional charges
DA reports new allegations of sexual abuse of children
BY J. JUDE HAZARD Gazette Reporter

    The former Saratoga Springs school bus driver who has been charged with molesting several boys could face additional charges based on new allegations that have surfaced against him, according to District Attorney James A. Murphy III.
    The case against Douglas Conrad, 35, of 151 Jefferson St., Saratoga Springs, was adjourned in Mechanicville City Court on Wednesday.
    “We are in receipt of statements that I can’t confirm details about, that there are additional allegations against Conrad and [James] Wiley,” Murphy said. “Law enforcement is investigating these new allegations.”
    Wiley, 60, also of 151 Jefferson St., was Conrad’s roommate at the time of the alleged abuse and currently faces charges of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child and felony criminal sexual act.
    Murphy said the legal proceedings will continue to be adjourned until Saratoga Springs and state police complete their investigation.
    He would not discuss details of the allegations or say whether the allegations were more severe than the current charges.
    “I can’t confirm any specific allegations as to alleged conduct either by Wiley or by Conrad,” he said. “It’s unethical for me to, and it’s inappropriate.”
    But the attorney representing the two boys as victims in the criminal case and in a possible civil case, John Aretakis, said the new allegations claim that the then-12-yearold boy was sodomized by Conrad on more than 20 occasions.

If/when he is convicted,,,,he should be sent to find al Quada.......

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Ex-school bus driver admits molesting boys
Friday, July 18, 2008
By Kathy Parker (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

A former school bus driver pleaded guilty today to charges he sexually abused three young boys and is expected to be sentenced to time in Saratoga County Jail, according to District Attorney James A. Murphy III.

Douglas Conrad, 35, of Saratoga Springs, admitted three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, this morning in City Court.

Murphy said a second investigation involving Conrad and abuse of young boys is continuing as a separate matter.

Murphy said police were alerted to the incidents when one of the boys confided in a family member. Murphy said all of the incidents occurred between April and December, either at the home of one of the victims or at Conrad’s residence.

Conrad is a former bus driver for the Saratoga Springs School District.

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Man pleads guilty to sex act against minor

First published: Friday, August 15, 2008

BALLSTON SPA -- One of the two men accused of sex crimes against boys in Saratoga County has pleaded guilty to a felony charge in the case and will be sentenced to 1 years in prison.
     
James Wiley, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of committing a sexual act against a minor in connection with an incident that occurred two years ago at the Mechanicville apartment where he and a co-defendant were living, Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said Thursday.

Charges against his roommate, Douglas Conrad, are still pending. Conrad, 35, who drove a Saratoga Springs school bus, faces misdemeanor sex abuse charges because of his alleged involvement with the teenage boys.

In addition to prison time, Wiley will also face six years' probation and be put on the New York sexual offender registry. He admitted to performing oral sex "on a person less than 17." Other charges could be pending as the investigation into other allegations involving the victim continues, Murphy said.

Wiley, who will be sentenced Oct. 9 by County Judge Jerry Scarano, was being held without bail in the Saratoga County jail Wednesday. Conrad remains free on bail.

-- Leigh Hornbeck

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=727209

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Former bus driver sentenced for sex abuse

By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer
Last updated: 2:42 p.m., Tuesday, October 7, 2008

SARATOGA SPRINGS – A former city school district bus driver who admitted to having sexual contact with three boys under the age of 14 was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in the county jail.
     
In addition to the jail sentence, 35-year-old Douglas Conrad was ordered to pay $2,520 and register with the state as a Level 2 sex offender. He will be on probation for six years following his release and must stay away from the victims.

Conrad had faced six misdemeanor counts of forcible touching for fondling at least two boys under the age of 18. In a plea deal in court last week, he admitted to fondling three boys between 12 and 14 years old in his apartment at 151 Jefferson St. or at the homes of the victims.

District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Conrad met one of the boys while working on his bus route.