Oktaha Student Arrested For Fondling 4-Year-Old Girl

Muskogee County deputies have arrested a 16-year-old boy for fondling a 4-year-girl on a school bus.

The alleged incident happened Friday afternoon. 

The Oktaha School district covers 89 square miles, centered on a small town. 

"We know there was an incident on our bus on the evening route, on the ride home, which resulted in some inappropriate contact between a high school young man and an elementary girl," said Jerry Needham, Oktaha Superintendent of Schools.

Superintendent Needham said there have been no other reports of problems elsewhere at the school since the incident was reported late Friday.

Needham said the bus driver was unaware of anything happening - and the little girl didn't tell anyone about it until she got home.

"My first contact was through the sheriff's department in that they had a report and made an arrest," Needham said.

Muskogee County Sheriff Charlie Pearson didn't want to comment on the case this early in the investigation - but his office confirmed the boy was being held on a complaint of "lewd or indecent acts or proposals to a child under 16 years old."

The teenage suspect is alleged to have touched the 4-year-old girl while she was sleeping on the bus, on a long ride home.

"Our routes are historically 45 minutes to an hour and this young lady is actually near the end of a route," Needham said. "So she's on the bus and it's cool and she probably was going to take her a nap and it's my understanding that's when the inappropriate contact occurred."

The superintendent said he's gathering information about where along the route the incident happened - and who was on the bus at the time.