ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Kiarra Jones, a former Littleton school bus aide accused of abusing three nonverbal children with autism in 2024, pleaded guilty to 12 of 13 charges in a plea agreement Monday.
Jones agreed to plead guilty to 10 felonies and two misdemeanors in exchange for a more serious felony charge being dropped. It is still possible, though, that Jones moves forward with the trial as scheduled.
The case surfaced in March 2024, when school bus footage was released that appeared to show Jones repeatedly hitting 10-year-old Dax, a nonverbal boy with autism. In the footage, Dax at times tries to protect himself with his hands.
After the footage emerged in March 2024, Dax’s parents, along with the other affected families, soon spoke at a press conference. They discussed their reactions to watching the video.
“The most sacred thing I can do is trust someone with my children, especially when my son isn’t capable of telling me he’s being abused,” Dax’s dad said.
“How could someone that I trusted, someone that I was so friendly with, do this to my little boy?” Jess Vestal, Dax’s mom, said.
A statement from the legal team noted to Denver7: "For the past two years, Jones has walked freely despite video evidence of her inflicting unconscionable abuse on the most vulnerable members of our community. The families look forward to taking a step toward closure."
Jones is represented by the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. The office does not comment on active cases.
Prior coverage:
- Former Littleton school bus aide who allegedly abused children with autism withdraws not guilty plea
- Littleton Public Schools under DOJ probe after alleged abuse of students with autism by former bus aide
- Former Littleton school bus aide pleads not guilty after video shows boy with autism getting hit
- Task force reveals bus safety recommendations following Littleton aide's arrest
- Littleton Public Schools launches transportation task force after alleged abuse aboard school bus
- Littleton Public Schools plans to change bus surveillance policy after arrest of paraprofessional
- After multiple claims, how are Colorado schools preventing school bus abuse?
- Littleton parents confront school board after bus aide caught on camera hitting boy with autism
- Young students with severe autism were abused by Littleton bus aide for months, law firm and families say
