Teen accused of raping 7-year-old on school bus charged as adult, IN officials say
A teenage boy accused of raping a 7-year-old non-verbal, autistic student will be tried as an adult, an Indiana judge declared, news outlets report.
The 15-year-old North Vernon boy, Landon Doty, “is beyond rehabilitation under the juvenile justice system,” Jennings County Circuit Court Magistrate Judge Christopher Doran said on June 9, The Republic reported.
Doran described Doty as a “predator” who is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting an autistic student for weeks while riding the bus to and from school, according to the outlet. Doran said the incidents were captured by cameras on board.
McClatchy News reached out to an attorney representing Doty for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.
Court records show Doty is facing a slew of charges, including multiple counts of rape, child molesting, sexual battery, confinement and public indecency. The charges were filed on April 16.
The continual sexual abuse came to light in mid-April when a school bus monitor saw Doty quickly move the 7-year-old from his lap as the monitor approached, WXIN reported, citing records. The monitor was troubled enough by what they saw that the bus was pulled over, and they told officials with Jennings County School Corp. to review surveillance video from the bus, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police also viewed recordings and Doty was later escorted out of class and detained, the station reported. As he was placed into a police car, Doty said “I’m basically screwed,” according to records obtained by WXIN.
Doty isn’t a special needs student, according to court records obtained by The Republic, and it is unclear why he was riding the same bus as the 7-year-old. Doty made efforts to hide what he was doing, officials said, the Republic reported.
Doty’s “criminal conduct appears to be calculated, indicating that he knew what he was doing was wrong,” Doran said, the outlet reported. “It appears in the videos that he would stop his criminal conduct anytime he thought someone may observe him, then continue his criminal conduct when he felt safe to continue without detection.”
An initial hearing is scheduled for June 16, records show.
North Vernon is a roughly 70-mile drive southeast from Indianapolis.
This story was originally published June 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Teen accused of raping 7-year-old on school bus charged as adult, IN officials say."