Charges dropped against school bus driver accused of molesting student

Enrique Napoles, 44, accused of sexually assaulting 7-year-old girl in Miami

MIAMI – Charges have been dropped against a private school bus driver in Miami-Dade County accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl multiple times. 

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Enrique Napoles, 44, on Monday after police initially said he sexually assaulted the girl about 10 times.

"The state had a very difficult task," Napoles' attorney, Rey Dora told Local 10 News. "They had to evaluate all of the evidence presented to see whether or not they were going to file charges. And they reached what I believe to be the correct decision."

"The family and the defense worked extensively to try finding witnesses to present to the state so the state could evaluate those witnesses and their credibility to determine whether or not they would be bringing forth the charges," continued Dora. "And they reached the conclusion of no action in the charge obviously after their investigation was completed."

Napoles was charged with 10 counts of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12 last month.

Police said the girl told detectives that Napoles would pull the bus over on the county swale and close all the windows. She said he would then place paper towels on a seat at the rear of the bus where the alleged sexual assault would occur.

Detectives said Napoles admitted that he was alone on the school bus with the child as she had described, but denied that any sexual assault had occurred.

According to prosecutors, there was no physical evidence to corroborate the girl's claims. Prosecutors said a physical examination by a pediatrician showed that there were no signs that she had been molested.

Furthermore, prosecutors said the girl has made similar allegations in the past that couldn't be substantiated. They also said the girl claimed a friend had witnessed Napoles sexually assaulting her, but the friend denied seeing anything.

According to police, Napoles is a private school bus driver who used to own a company called Napoles Buses.

At the time of his arrest, Napoles was employed by J&A Bus Services, driving students to the following schools:

American Senior High

Palm Springs North Elementary

Spanish Trace

Mater Academy

Lawton Chiles Middle School

Country Club Middle School

It's unclear whether Napoles is still employed by the bus company.

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About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.