Howard bus aide hit two nonverbal students, police say (2025)

An 80-year-old bus aide who allegedly hit two nonverbal Howard County students was ordered held without bond on Monday, according to online court records.

Albert William Rice Jr., a Laurel resident, was arrested and charged last week with two counts of second-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree sex offense.

While investigating an alleged incident from February, police discovered Rice had also hit and “inappropriately touched” a second female victim, a spokesperson said in an email.

Police said they reviewed video recordings from the bus from February which show a 13-year-old student hitting Rice as he approaches her. Then, police said, the video shows Rice step back, pause and then hit her with his right hand while she is buckled into her seat. Shortly after, the student gets off the bus.

Rice “admitted to being frustrated with the thirteen-year-old female victim and striking her in the face,” according to Howard County Police charging documents.

As police investigated that incident, they discovered Rice “hit and inappropriately touched a second nonvberbal 13-year-old girl,” Sherry Llewellyn, a county police spokesperson, said in an email.

At the time of the February incident, Rice was a contracted bus attendant who worked with students traveling to and from the Linwood Center. The center, located in Ellicott City, is a nonpublic school placement program that serves Howard County Public Schools students with autism. Some of the students are nonverbal.

Employed by Bowen Bus Services, Rice has worked as a bus aide for 2 1/2 years, the charging documents state. On Feb. 20, the day after the incident, the company suspended Rice. A representative for the company referred a reporter to a statement from the school system.

Rice has had no contact with students since, according to the charging documents. He does not have an attorney listed in online court records.

In a community letter sent last week, Howard County Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley and Superintendent Bill Barnes said: “This is deeply disturbing news, and we echo our community’s feelings of disgust and disappointment that a trusted adult would harm any child in this way, particularly a child with a disability.”

They wrote that the school system is working closely with the Linwood Center, County Police and the bus contractor. School system special education staff are providing support to the affected students and families.

All Howard County contracted bus drivers and attendants are required to be fingerprinted, have extensive background checks and attend trainings on child sexual abuse and assault and proper use of safety equipment on specialized buses, according to the joint community letter.

Bus aides are considered “mandated reporters,” and are required to report any known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

The Linwood Center requires transportation staff to participate in specific training sessions on autism, incident reporting protocols and behavior intervention plans, according to the letter.

Rice has a court date scheduled for May 22.

Jess Nocera is a regional reporter covering Howard County.

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