WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. -- Police have charged a Westmoreland County bus driver they said sexually molested six mentally disabled female passengers over a three-year period.

Paul Lizza, 74, was arraigned before Youngwood District Judge James Falcon on six counts each of indecent assault on persons with a mental disability, indecent contact without consent and institutional sexual assault.

"Any sort of sexual assault is alarming, but when you're taking advantage of someone in this particular circumstance or a child, it's worse," said Trooper Jeanne Martin of the Pennsylvania State Police.

According to a criminal complaint, the women ranged in age from 27 to 52 years old.

Investigators said the driver would pull over on the side of the road and fondle the victims while taking them to and from therapy at least once a week.

"He would stop the bus at various points along the bus route and assault them at that time," said Martin. This man is taking advantage of the fact that these people are unable to or don't know about consent, about crimes."

Martin said one of the women told a caregiver about the sexual contact.

Martin said the driver worked for a private bus company that carried the mentally handicapped women from several county facilities.

A spokesperson for First Student Bus Company told Channel 4 Action News that "we have the most stringent background checks for all of our employees, not just drivers. He had a previously clean record and we had no indication of foul play."

First Student said Lizza had been driving for them since Nov. 1994 and has since been fired.

The Unity Township garage was owned by Laidlaw until First Student took over in Oct. 1997.

Lizza was released on a $5,000 bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in March.

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