Think you can trust the local, friendly, school bus driver? Better think again. Although the molestations of the two Los Alamitos girls occurred between November 2000 and December 2003, when the case was sent to the jury on Monday of this week, they needed only a few hours to convict Terry Shields, 54, Buena Park, on 15 felony counts and sentencing enhancement allegations for committing lewd acts on multiple children, substantial sexual conduct with a child, and kidnapping to commit a sexual offense against a child.

According to Los Alamitos Unified School District Superintendant Dr. Gregory Franklin, Shields worked for the Los Alamitos School District as a bus driver from 1994until March 2002 when he was fired. Shields was terminated for “job performance related issues” Franklin said.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown of the Sexual Assault Unit, and the prosecutor for this case, added that Shields drove the bus for handicapped children. One of the victims is autistic and non-verbal. According to Brown, Shields gained the confidence of the parents of two of the victims and served as their babysitter. It was while being left alone in Shields’ care that he perpetrated the sexual crimes against the girls.

Although Shields made contact with the victims and their parents while performing his bus driving duties, the crimes did not have anything to do with his employment at the school district. Dr. Franklin indicated that there was nothing in his personnel file which suggested any suspicion about the crimes for which Shields would later be convicted.

Franklin said Shields’ termination from the district was strictly related to his job performance as a bus driver. Franklin also indicated that there was nothing in district policies which would prevent a district employee from babysitting for district students.

However, prosecutor Brown said “It’s not that easy to find caretakers for special needs children. It takes a special kind of person to deal with someone who’s non-verbal or autistic. That was his {Shields} specialty. He was the bus driver for the special needs kids. I think parents have this perception that he must have been screened by the school district. He was really good with the kids—he played with them and was more than happy to babysit.”

Shields was not arrested until October 4, 2006, more than three years after the crimes against the Los Alamitos girls. The oldest of the girls was 11 years old at the time of the crimes, but the parents were not aware that the children had been abused until they were contacted by investigators in 2006.

When investigators showed sexually explicit photos of the two girls, Brown said the mom said “Oh my God, those are my daughters, and that’s my house, and that’s my bathroom.” The older child had never said anything about the crimes.

Brown said it is not unusual for child victims to keep quiet about such crimes. “Children are more likely to tell when it’s a stranger who does it to them. When its someone who the parents know and trust, and other than these sex things they are doing, if they {the perpetrator} are good to them, like buy them gifts and take them places, and the parents like them, especially if it’s a family member, children feel like if I say something, I’m not going to have this person in my life anymore and it’s going to break up the friendship and it’s going to be all my fault.”

With regard to the sentencing, which is scheduled for December 24, Brown said she will be asking for “the absolute maximum possible”, which is 207 years to life.
“He deserves every last second. This man is absolutely diabolical.” She indicated the minimum sentence should not be less than 130 years. She said “There’s no doubt in my mind” that Shields will be in prison for the rest of his life. With regard to that prospect, Brown said “It feels great—it feels fantastic—I love it. The photos alone—four of the jurors were crying during closing arguments—they’re horrendous.

When asked about how the victims are getting along now, Brown said “Today they had a great sense of relief that he’s not out on the streets any more, that he can’t hurt them any more, and also that he won’t hurt anyone else.”

We asked Brown for her recommendations for parents. She said “Parents can never be too diligent when it comes to the safety of their children. Child molesters come in every shape and size. They come as the husbands, the uncles, the step brothers, the step dads. It’s generally men, but there are some women out there. You just have to be really aware of where your children are and who’s hanging around your children.”

She continued, “Maybe I’m jaded, but I’d be suspicious of any man who wants to spend time alone with your children. Parents should be suspicious of any man who’s buying your children gifts, or buying you gifts, out of the kindness of his heart. There’s generally an ulterior motive—especially a coach or a teacher because that’s where they gain the trust.

She also said popping in unexpectedly on a babysitter or nanny cams are also good ideas. “I wouldn’t let any man babysit the children. I wouldn’t. I would venture a guess that 95% of our defendants are males. So you definitely decrease your risk, but even then, you have to be careful about the babysitter’s boyfriend, the babysitter’s husband—family members. It’s frightening, but you really just have to keep an eye on your children and listen to them. Generally when kids disclose, they test the waters a little first to see how the parents react. If the parents react like dismissing it, they’re less likely to tell you what’s going on.”