Johnthony WalkerThe school bus driver sentenced to four years for the 2016 crash on Talley Road that killed six children will be appearing in court Monday - but this time in Nashville on an aggravated statutory rape charge.
According to a criminal affidavit filed Thursday in Davidson County, Johnthony Walker, 25, admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old girl on five occasions over the last couple of months while staying in Nashville. The victim's parents called police this week after learning about the situation, the affidavit says, and Walker told police the relationship was consensual.
Walker had been staying in Nashville on bond because of the number of threats he was receiving in Chattanooga, according to The Tennessean. He is being held in the Davidson County Jail on a $350,000 bond and is scheduled to appear before Judge Allegra Walker in Davidson County General Sessions Court.
Aggravated statutory rape is a Class D felony with a maximum punishment up to 12 years in prison. It's used when a victim is at least 13 years old but under 18 and when the alleged offender is at least 10 years older than the victim.
Earlier this year, a jury convicted Walker of six counts of criminally negligent homicide and other charges in connection with the Nov. 21, 2016, crash that involved 37 Woodmore Elementary School students. In April, Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole sentenced him to four years in prison, largely because Walker didn't have a criminal history and didn't qualify for more severe punishment under state law.
Poole upheld that sentence earlier this week after Walker's defense attorney said prosecutors withheld evidence in the case. Prosecutors denied that argument and said Walker's defense released expunged information. After ruling that neither side behaved unethically, Poole allowed Walker to remain free on bond with an ankle monitor while Walker appeals his sentence to a higher court.
It's unclear how the new arrest will affect Walker's appeal.
But on Friday, after learning about the new charges, Hamilton County prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Walker's bond in the bus crash case. According to The Tennessean, Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston also reached out to his Nashville counterpart, Glenn Funk, to ask Funk to advocate for a high bond in Walker's pending rape case.
Walker's defense attorney in the bus case, Amanda Dunn, said Friday she is not representing him in the new case. Walker's former employer, Durham School Services, was previously providing legal counsel but won't be this time around.
"We will not be paying for his legal counsel," spokeswoman Carina Noble said Friday.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.