Michael Ford: Utah driver with history of arson arrested for setting school bus on fire with 42 children inside
SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH: Authorities in Utah have detained and charged Michael Austin Ford, a 58-year-old school bus driver, in connection with two alleged incidents of arson, one of which involved setting a school bus on fire with 42 children onboard.
Ford, employed by the Granite School District in central Salt Lake County, now faces serious charges after a grand jury indictment in February.
Utah school bus driver charged for setting bus ablaze
The US Attorney's Office, District of Utah, disclosed that both arson incidents were determined to have originated from an "incendiary source," according to a motion for detention. Ford has been charged with two counts of arson of a vehicle belonging to an organization receiving federal funds.
The particularly alarming incident unfolded in February 2022 when Ford allegedly set a school bus ablaze with 42 students inside. Surveillance footage revealed him driving "with smoke billowing past his face," seemingly undeterred by the hazardous conditions.
The bus was brought to a stop when the children were “seen and heard coughing, covering their faces, and complaining about smoke,” as detailed in the motion for detention.
Michael Ford set fire to another school bus amid traffic
A subsequent incident in April 2023 saw Ford driving another school bus from the Granite School District, reportedly igniting a fire while in traffic. The statement from the attorney's office cited surveillance footage but did not clarify whether students were present on that particular bus.
Ford was arrested by Granite School Police following the 2023 incident, but he was subsequently released. The grounds for his release and the rationale behind his continued employment by the district, even after the 2022 arson, remain unclear.
In a disturbing turn of events, an arson investigation was initiated in October 2023 after Ford's home and vehicle were reportedly damaged by fire. Authorities have not disclosed a motive behind these incidents, and Ford allegedly has a history of arson cases, as per the motion for detention.
Investigators revealed that Ford "acknowledged to investigators" his involvement in three other bus fires—one between 2001 and 2002, and the others in 2016 and 2017—according to the motion for detention. As legal proceedings unfold, he has entered a plea of not guilty, as indicated by online court records.
