Bus monitor charged with sex abuse

WASILLA — School official identified a man arrested Friday charged with sexually abusing children as a bus monitor with a contractor for Mat-Su Schools.

Alaska State Troopers arrested Timothy Queripel, 41, of Wasilla on five counts of sexual abuse of a minor, according to a press release. Troopers with the Child Abuse Investigation Unit began investigating Queripel Feb. 6 after they received a notification from the Wasilla branch of the Alaska Office of Children’s Services about a potential case of child abuse.

The Mat-Su Borough School system released a brief statement Saturday afternoon identifying Queripel as a bus monitor currently employed since Aug. 15, 2013 with busing contractor First Student. Queripel had also worked with Laidlaw, providing services for Mat-Su Borough Schools. Laidlaw was the name of First Student prior to 2007.

Queripel was on administrative leave ahead of an arraignment, according to the statement. He had been an on-again off-again 18-year employee of both First Student and Laidlaw.

“Safety is the highest priority of the Mat-Su Borough School District,” the statement reads in part.

The charges would constitute Queripel’s first felony, according Alaska Court documents.

Queripel was being held in the Mat-Su Pretrial detention facility on a $25,000 cash bond Saturday evening.

Alaska State Troopers public information officers were unavailable to comment about the case Saturday.

Mat-Su Borough school system Catherine Esary referred questions about the case, including whether any of the victims were Mat-Su Borough schools students, to troopers.

“We want the public to know that we are aware of it and we have taken the steps necessary and we’re following the investigation,” she said.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.