- Granite School District bus driver Casey Dan Golding was arrested for investigation of child exploitation.
- Golding, 24, was fired after being accused of possessing child sex abuse material.
- Investigation began Feb. 2; no Granite students are confirmed victims, district says.
WEST JORDAN — A bus driver for the Granite School District has been arrested and accused of possessing and distributing child sex abuse material.
Casey Dan Golding, 24, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Thursday for investigation of three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
A Granite spokesman says as soon as the district learned of Golding's arrest, he was fired.
"These allegations are very disturbing. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that any of our students are victims of abuse. Student safety remains our highest priority and we will continue to work with law enforcement on this investigation as appropriate," the district said.
The investigation began on Feb. 2 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force "regarding an account that uploaded and distributed suspected child sexual abuse material," according to a police booking affidavit.
After investigators traced the social media account in question to Golding, "it was found that (he) had a school bus endorsement on his Utah state driver's license." When agents went to his residence on Feb. 12, "a Granite School District school bus was parked in front of the residence. Casey Dean Golding advised that he drives a school bus for Granite School District," the affidavit states. "He normally transports elementary and middle school-aged children to and from school."
Golding denied sending or receiving child sex abuse material on the social media account associated with his address and phone number. But after his phone was seized and searched, investigators "conducting a hand-scroll search of Casey Dean Golding's phone … located a video which I confirmed was child sex abuse material," the affidavit alleges.
The district says Golding was hired in October and "passed all relevant pre-employment screenings at that time, including a reference and criminal background check."
