- A West Valley Man and former Granite School District bus driver was sentenced to five years in prison for setting a school bus on fire in 2023.
- Michael Austin Ford, 60, was charged with multiple felonies including aggravated arson and child abuse.
- In addition to prison, Ford faces three years supervised release and $21,690 restitution.
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Granite School District bus driver on Monday was sentenced to five years in prison for setting a school bus on fire in 2023.
Michael Austin Ford, 60, of West Valley City, was initially charged in Utah's 3rd District Court in 2023 with 10 counts of aggravated arson, a first-degree felony; aggravated child abuse, arson and obstructing justice, second-degree felonies; and property damage, a class B misdemeanor.
In 2024, Ford was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of arson of a vehicle being used by an organization receiving federal funds.
In addition to his prison time, Ford was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $21,690.42 in restitution.
According to court documents and admissions made at Ford's change of plea and sentencing hearings, he intentionally set a Granite School District school bus on fire with a cigarette lighter on April 7, 2023.
Ford was captured on video igniting the bus and then continuing to drive it, with smoke billowing past his face. In other court documents, prosecutors stated that Ford attempted to tamper with the bus's video surveillance system in the days preceding the April 2023 arson," said a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah.
On a separate occasion in February 2022, Ford was driving a Granite School District bus with 66 children on board when "onboard video surveillance shows smoke coming under the bus dash, (and Ford) continues to drive the bus while smoke is emitting from the dash," according to the police booking affidavit from Ford's initial arrest.
The charge stemming from that incident, however, was dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
"Protecting our most vulnerable population is a top priority of this administration and my office," said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. "I want to thank our law enforcement partners and my office who worked tirelessly on this case to bring it to a close and hold Mr. Ford accountable for his intentional disregard for safety and the law."
