WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News LeaderBDS Bus Driver Accused Of Showing Porn To Students

A Bay District Schools bus driver is facing four felony charges – and possible termination – for alleged misconduct involving middle school students.

Marcus Antonio Howard, 37, is accused of showing pornographic videos to three male students on Bus 744 before school.  According to Panama City police, the incidents occurred between January 4 and February 7 at a bus stop prior to Howard beginning his morning route.

Howard was arrested Monday afternoon based on allegations that he showed students cell phone videos of adults engaged in sex acts.  After a parent of one of the Mowat Middle School students tipped off administrators, police questioned Howard about the alleged incidents and collected evidence, including video from bus security cameras.

"We are constantly watching and of course the children are the eyes and the ears of what's going on," said Sharon Michalik, Executive Director of Human Resources for Bay District Schools. 

Howard has been employed by the school system since September 2009.  He was suspended without pay on February 7, when the allegations surfaced.  "We reacted immediately to this situation and [he] has not been in contact with any students of ours since then," said Michalik.

Howard has been held at the Bay County Jail since his arrest.  In an exclusive News 13 interview, Howard admitted showing videos to children in the past but denied they were pornographic in nature.

"That's not an everyday thing, that's just every now and then," said Howard.  "If it ain't music videos, it would be clips from You Tube or Netflix."

Howard said he has no idea why the students made the claims.  "If [authorities] would have listened to me instead of a child, it would have been a lot easier," he said.  "But no, they would rather listen to a child over me... basically they've already made me guilty."

On February 7, Howard was parked in his bus outside Mowat, waiting for school to recess for the day.  Minutes after students told administrators of the incidents, he was taken off the bus and questioned by school officials and police.  "Man, that was an embarrassing day," said Howard.  "They shamed me in front of everybody, they violated me."

Howard, who said he has never been in trouble with the law, now faces a potential lifetime sexual offender label.  "I'm denying all the charges... I'm innocent," he said.  "No matter how many times they're going to angle it, no matter how many times they're going to keep on pressuring me about it, the answer is always going to be ‘no'."

At a hearing prior to Tuesday's school board meeting, the board voted to begin termination proceedings against Howard.  About an hour later, he appeared in court to answer the charges and bond was set at $5,000 for each of the four felony counts.

Meanwhile, Michalik said all district employees will suffer because of Howard's alleged misconduct.  "That's what is so upsetting about this," she said.  "Something like this happens and it just makes everyone feel bad and that's a shame because we don't want to be judged by the actions of this driver."