Former Durham school bus driver charged with having sex with student
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- Former school bus driver arrested in Whitsett on multiple child sex charges.
- He faces five charges including three counts of statutory rape of a child.
- Investigators say encounters began Nov. 2024 and continued into early 2025; probe active.
A former school bus driver with Durham Public Schools has been charged with multiple child sex offenses, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Kenneth Arnold Thompson Jr., 25, was arrested Wednesday at his home in Whitsett, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
He is being held on a $2 million bail and faces five charges:
- Three counts of statutory rape of a child under 15
- One count of first-degree statutory sex offense
- One count of sexual activity with a student.
Thompson is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a student on three different occasions when the student was 13 and 14, according to the warrant for his arrest.
The student’s mother came to the Sheriff’s Office in August with allegations that Thompson had engaged in sexual activities with her daughter starting in November 2024.
Durham Public Schools said Thompson worked for the district as a bus driver between April 24, 2023, and March 6, when he resigned.
The investigation remains active, and additional charges are pending, the Sheriff’s Office said.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
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