A Colorado bus driver has been accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old, Us Weekly has confirmed.
Robert Charles Watters is being held inside the Jefferson County Jail on $10,000 bond following his arrest Thursday, March 12, on a felony charge of suspicion of committing sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
Watters, 64, was arrested in Lakewood. He was working as a driver for Jefferson County Public Schools.
Watters came across the radar of local cops back on March 4 when the young victim came forward and reported the alleged sexual assaults.
Watters first started working as a bus driver for the school district in 2018. He had been driving Hutchinson Elementary students on the C-49 bus route from 2021 to 2023 and those on the C-31 bus route since August 2023, Lakewood Police stated.
Watters turned himself in to police on Thursday.
The bus driver was placed on leave March 4, and the district began the termination process on Thursday.
In a letter home to parents of Hutchinson Elementary students, the district assured folks that “the systems and safeguards we have in place functioned as designed, enabling swift and decisive action.”
The school district said it had a mental health team “ready to support students” and its Title IX team continues “working closely” with Lakewood investigators to “extend all available district support and resources.”
The letter also stated there were no known victims enrolled at Everitt Middle School at this time.
Police are curious if Watters has other victims and had asked for anyone who may have been a victim or a potential witness to his crimes contact the Lakewood Police tip line at (303) 763-6800.
Watters has a court scheduled for March 19, online records indicate.
This marks the eighth sexual misconduct-related incident to impact Jefferson County Public Schools since late 2023.
Christopher Morris, a former teacher and coach, was convicted of 27 counts of child sex abuse and sentenced to 165 years in prison. Morris, 54, had two victims under the age of 18 he sexually abused and sodomized on multiple occasions when they were between the ages of 14 and 16. A 17-year-old boy first came forward with allegations against him in 2022, and at the time, officials accused him of using religion to manipulate the boys.
Rubel Tim Martinez, a former security guard, was sentenced just last week to at least 18 years in prison for sexual assault on a child. Martinez, 69, repeatedly sexually assaulted the same student between 2014 and 2016, when she was a junior and senior at Lakewood High School.
And in late 2024, David Weiss, the school district’s former chief of schools, allegedly used bitcoin to purchase child pornography. He later died by suicide after being arrested for child porn possession.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or are the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
