Newton bus driver indicted on kidnapping charges

The victims were between the ages of 3 and 5 and are semi-nonverbal or struggle with communication.

A 42-year-old bus driver was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of kidnapping, officials announced Wednesday.

On May 28, Newton police were notified of suspicious activity by one of Newton Public Schools’ contracted bus drivers, Justin Vose of Bedford, after one of the students was dropped off late at day care, according to a statement from the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.

When the bus company checked Vose’s GPS location, it allegedly showed that the defendant went to the parking lot but instead of dropping the child off, he drove to a “secluded portion of the parking lot near the tree line,” the statement said.

Vose was working as a bus driver for Newton Early Education Childhood Program and Transportation for Newton Public Schools contracted through JSC Transportation.

An investigation found that the defendant took three victims — between 3 and 5 years old — to secluded areas multiple times, authorities said. Vose then allegedly turned off the audio and video recording in his bus for up to 20 minutes.

Authorities also found that Vose took photos with the children on his phone.

All of the children are semi-nonverbal or struggle with communication, the statement said.

Vose will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Oct. 25.

Lindsay Shachnow covers general assignment news for Boston.com, reporting on breaking news, crime, and politics across New England.