Massachusetts school bus driver charged with kidnapping students, allegedly disabled cameras

A Grafton, Massachusetts school bus driver was arrested and charged with kidnapping and reckless endangerment of a child Tuesday night. 

The driver, 54-year-old Redi Gace of Worcester, allegedly "deviated from his route with students in the vehicle and made unauthorized stops," according to Grafton School Superintendent James Cummings. 

School bus camera disabled

According to court paperwork, Gace blocked or turned off his bus's cameras on two different occasions in December. In both cases, he had one child on board and while the cameras were disabled, he allegedly took that child to a road that was not on his route. 

The alleged victims are a 5-year-old boy who is non-verbal and a 3-year-old girl. Police say a parent sounded the alarm just two days before Christmas after her son was dropped off a half hour late. 

The bus company, AA Transportation, said it investigated the complaint, shared the results with the school and police, and asked police to investigate it further. 

The company tried reviewing the bus's cameras, but police say the interior bus camera was not operational and the front facing camera was covered. 

"No explained or legitimate reason"

The bus's GPS tracking system was working, and authorities claim it showed Gace pull down Abby Road, a half-developed cul-de-sac, and parked for more than 20 minutes. Police say there is audio of the boy crying, but the sound goes out 10 minutes after the bus was turned off. 

Police discovered another incident while combing through weeks of GPS data. They allege Gace took a three-year-old girl down Abby Road a few days earlier, "for no explained or legitimate reason." Evidence suggested Gace first tampered with the cameras weeks prior. 

Neighbors who live around Abby Road are deeply concerned. "We are in shock and kind of disturbed with the news," a neighbor said.   

Gace was employed by AA Transportation. He was not assigned to general student transportation routes, according to police. 

Bus driver held on bail

He has been charged with two counts of kidnapping, reckless endangerment of a child under 18, misleading a police investigation and tampering with evidence. "The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming," Grafton Police said. 

Gace was arraigned in Westboro District Court on Wednesday and is being held on $50,000 bail. If he posts bail, he will be placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring. 

"We are in direct communication with the families impacted and are offering support and resources as needed," Cummings said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Grafton Police Department and AA Transportation as the investigation continues." 

Families with specific questions are encouraged to contact the Grafton Police Department. 

In a statement, AA Transportation said the driver passed state and federal background checks and was certified by the Massachusetts RMV school bus division. 

Grafton is a town in central Massachusetts, about 40 miles west of Boston.