MacArthur Wilson, 73, of Upper Gwynedd. (Courtesy of Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office)
MacArthur Wilson, of the 1200 block of Browning Court, Upper Gwynedd, was sentenced on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and strangulation.
Calling his actions “an assault on the community, not just the child” in a video that “was the exact opposite of aid,” Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven T. O’Neill sentenced a former North Penn School District bus aide to five to 23 months in county jail for strangling a 6-year-old special needs child for several seconds on a bus.
MacArthur Wilson, 73, of the 1200 block of Browning Court, Upper Gwynedd, was sentenced on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and strangulation in connection with the 4:06 p.m. Oct. 16, 2023, incident, according to court records. Wilson previous pleaded guilty to all changes.
The incident occurred as the bus traveled in the area of Bell Run Boulevard and Welsh Road in Montgomery Township.
According to The Mercury, Wilson must complete three years of probation, consecutive to parole, for a total of six years. He is also prohibited from having contact with minors or the elderly while under court supervision.
According to The Mercury, O’Neill said parents have an expectation, and demand as a community, that their children will be protected when they send them off to school.
“What I saw in that video was the exact opposite of aid. It was harm, rather than aid,” said O’Neill, per the report.
Assistant District Attorney Caroline R. Goldstein said the incident put a 6-year-old in serious bodily injury and he failed to protect the children from bad things happening to them.
The child is currently receiving therapy and counseling, per the report.
Wilson, a 20-year Army veteran, was denied a probationary sentence; Wilson showed no remorse in the courtroom, per the report.
Read more on the sentencing here.
Police said the incident occurred while the bus was traveling in the area of Bell Run Bouelvard and Welsh Road on Oct. 16 around 4 p.m. At that time, Wilson was asked to sit with the boy.
A few minutes after, Wilson began to struggle with the boy’s seatbelt, then was observed putting his hands around the boy’s neck for seven seconds before stopping when the bus driver yelled at him, police said.
Surveillance footage inside the bus showed Wilson struggling to have the boy let go of the belt, and then Wilson said, “Do you want me to choke you out?” three times, before put his hands around the boy’s neck.
The parents told police the boy ran off the bus when he was dropped off, visibly distressed. The boy’s neck was red and he had small scratches on the rear of his neck and upper back, police said.
They then contacted police.
Wilson told the driver that the boy had hit him, and he had to teach the boy a lesson, police said.
At the time of publication of the crime by North Penn Now in December 2023, North Penn School District provided the following statement:
The North Penn School District is aware of the recent article referencing an alarming incident on a school bus. When the alleged act occurred, the bus driver intervened immediately and then reported the matter to NPSD administration. Parents and the authorities were contacted immediately. The bus assistant involved was also contacted that day and he resigned immediately.
NPSD’s first priority is the safety of our students. We were extremely alarmed by this incident and immediately involved the authorities due to the nature of the report. We will continue to work with local law enforcement to support the prosecution of this case. Additionally, we continue to support the family and the student involved in this situation.
The district provided additional information in December, via an email to district families from Superintendent Todd Bauer. The email read, in part:
“Dear North Penn Families and Staff,
The North Penn School District is aware of recent news stories referencing an alarming incident on a school bus. We want to make sure that you have accurate information.
The alleged conduct involved a substitute van assistant who was formerly employed by the district. He was hired in October 2022 as a substitute in the transportation department and worked a total of 10 days before his resignation in October 2023.
When the alleged act occurred, the regular bus driver intervened immediately and then reported the matter to the NPSD administration. Parents and the authorities were contacted immediately. The substitute van assistant involved was also contacted that day, and he resigned immediately.”
The remainder of the email was a portion of the statement the district had already released to North Penn Now.
The family of the victim, who requested anonymity, also offered a statement via text message in December praising both North Penn School District and the Montgomery Township Police Department for their handling of the investigation.
“North Penn School District, the bus driver, and Montgomery Township Police went above and beyond to work with us and follow proper procedures in handling this situation,” the family said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better experience in such a horrible situation.”
They also asked that the community respect their privacy, and refrain from going to their home.
Sources told North Penn Now that, when the story initially broke last year, at least one larger regional news organization had tracked down the family and attempted to interview them in person.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
