On September 23, 2026, two Polk County Public Schools transportation employees—bus driver Jeffrey Larson (65) and bus attendant William “Cody” Roberts (32)—were arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and charged with felony aggravated child abuse.
Incident Details
- School & Route: The incident occurred on Bus #1611, which serves students at Karen M. Siegel Academy in Lake Alfred, a specialized school for students with complex disabilities. Larson and Roberts also operated routes serving Boswell Elementary and Tenoroc High School.
- Victim: A 15-year-old student with severe intellectual disabilities who functions at approximately a toddler level and is non-verbal.
- Allegations:
- The investigation began on September 22 after the school principal requested a review of bus surveillance footage due to an unusual spike in student behavior referrals.
- Security video from August 31 and September 2 showed Larson and Roberts repeatedly spraying the student in the face, torso, and legs with a commercial liquid disinfectant cleaner (“Morning Fresh, Neutral Disinfectant Cleaner”) while telling him to “stop spitting”.
- During interviews with detectives, Roberts admitted to spraying the student directly in the face up to five times to “teach him a lesson” and confirmed witnessing Larson do the same.
- Investigators noted that both employees acknowledged their actions were wrong and that the disinfectant was a dangerous chemical irritant.
District & Law Enforcement Response
- Both Larson and Roberts were terminated and banned from all Polk County Public Schools property and involvement.
- The Polk County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on the bus to secure the disinfectant bottle as evidence before booking both suspects into the Sheriff’s Processing Center.
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