WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A former school bus driver with the Granite School District admitted to intentionally setting a school bus on fire, and it wasn't his first time.
Michael Austin Ford, 60, was indicted for the April 2023 incident and recently changed his plea in court.
According to Ford's court admission, on April 7, 2023, he was driving a Granite School District bus when he lit it on fire with a cigarette lighter and continued driving. Officials say video from the bus showed Ford driving with smoke billowing across his face.
Investigators added that Ford could be seen in the days leading up to the fire attempting to tamper with the bus's surveillance system.
However, on a separate occasion in February 2022, Ford was also accused of setting another Granite School Bus on fire while 42 children were inside and the bus was in traffic.
Officials say that in April 2023, footage revealed that Ford appeared to be using a lighter to light electrical components under the bus's dashboard.
Following an investigation by the State Fire Marshall's office, Ford was fired and later arrested.
“It is our hope Ford is sentenced to the term of imprisonment that will protect our community from his careless disregard for safety and the law,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah.
Ford is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1 in a courtroom in Salt Lake City.
