PROVO — A Provo School District bus driver charged with sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl who rode his bus spent one day in jail before family members posted $75,000 cash-only bail.
Christian Paul Bair, 25, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with child kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies, and sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony.
In connection with Bair's Nov. 3 arrest, the Utah County Attorney's Office also filed charges against another man accused of sexually abusing a young Provo girl and are looking for a third man who also may be involved.
According to a court documents, the girl who rode Bair's bus invited Bair to her home. She had been promising to "make out" for a week, according to a probable-cause statement police wrote at Bair's arrest.
Once in her bedroom, the two started kissing. Then, he allegedly took off her shirt and fondled her, as well as fondled her genital area, according to the probable-cause statement.
Information about Bair's alleged physical relationship with the girl came during an interview police had with the girl. The interview initially centered on another man with whom the girl allegedly had a physical relationship.
During the interview, the girl also mentioned a 12-year-old friend who had allegedly been involved in sexual activities with an older man, said Deputy Utah County Attorney Dave Sturgill.
Police arrested Gustavo Rene Martinez-Ayala, of Provo, on Nov. 2, and charged him Wednesday with rape of a child and aggravated sex abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies.
His alleged victim was the 12-year-old friend. Before the alleged incident with Bair, the 13-year-old girl and the 12-year-old girl told police they had been in the same house, where they had each had sex with a man. One of the men was identified as Ayala and police are still looking for the second man, Sturgill said.
Prosecutors believe Bair does not know the other two men and is only connected through the alleged victim. The cases will go through the legal process independent of each other. However, it's not unusual to talk with a victim and learn out about multiple suspects, Sturgill said.
Although the two girls may have invited the men to accompany them into the home, they are still legally too young to consent to sex or sexual activity.
"A girl can be begging to have sex and it doesn't matter," Sturgill said. "It's a statutory crime if she's under 14."
The alleged sexual activities happened between Oct. 14 and Oct. 25, Sturgill said.
Police first learned of the abuse when the 13-year-old girl's mother came to police after her daughter told her she had engaged in sexual relations with her school bus driver.
Martinez-Ayala is still being held in the Utah County Jail on $100,000 cash-only bail.
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