A former school bus monitor in Whitfield County, Georgia, has been arrested on suspicion of trying to connect a child with a man and failing to report an allegation of abuse, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Maria Susanne Roberts was arrested at her home on Thursday and booked into the Whitfield County Jail. She faces charges of enticing a child for indecent purposes and failure to report suspected child abuse.
Investigators allege that Roberts gave a minor the contact details of a man in an attempt to bring the two into contact.
Deputies also said the child told Roberts they might be pregnant as a result of abuse. Roberts allegedly provided a pregnancy test but did not contact police or child welfare authorities.
The allegations relate to the period when Roberts was working as a bus monitor for Whitfield County Schools. Authorities have not disclosed the age of the child, identified the man or detailed the underlying abuse allegation.
Whitfield County Schools said Roberts was employed through the Qualified Staffing temp agency and began working as a bus monitor on 7 August. The district said a background check carried out as part of her employment process had returned clear.
A school district spokesperson said Roberts was removed from her position after officials became aware of the concern. The district also said it notified Qualified Staffing and reported the matter directly to the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office.
Roberts’s final day working for the district was 4 September, according to the spokesperson. Investigators have not said which school or bus route she was assigned to.
Georgia law requires designated professionals and child service organisation personnel who have reasonable cause to suspect abuse to report it immediately, and no later than 24 hours after becoming aware of the concern. Knowingly and wilfully failing to make a required report is a misdemeanour under state law. ([oca.georgia.gov](https://oca.georgia.gov/training/mandated-reporting))
The sheriff’s office has released no further details about the investigation. The allegations have not been tested in court, and Roberts has not publicly commented on the charges.
