School bus driver barges into home looking for little girl, Georgia mother says
A Georgia school bus driver is accused of walking into a family’s home unannounced looking for their 10-year-old daughter, news outlets reported. Now he’s behind bars on a burglary charge.
Gogineni Rayudu, a bus driver with the Cobb County School District, was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 22, after what the girl’s mother described as a “strange” and “very creepy” incident, according to WGCL.
Cassi Cea told the station that a man, later identified as her daughter’s bus driver, barged into their Marietta home uninvited and asked about the little girl. Schools were closed for winter break this week, according to the district’s calendar.
“My boyfriend was right there, and he came walking out, like, ‘Excuse me? Who are you?” Cea told WSB-TV. “I tried to keep my distance at first because I didn’t know if (Rayudu) had a weapon on him.”
The mother said Rayudu, who has been on the bus route for about two months, was wearing gloves when he walked into their home and closed the door, according to the news station. She said she had a gut feeling “something was seriously wrong.”
Cea said Rayudu eventually ran after she continued to confront him about why he was there, WAGA reported. In an arrest warrant, authorities said the bus driver had been to the home three times in the past month and has asked neighbors about where the girl lived.
“Did he expect to find my daughter,” Cea told WGCL. “Who just walks into somebody’s house and shuts the door behind them? I’ve never met this man in my entire life.”
Cobb County School officials said the district is “fully cooperating” with the police investigation.
“In addition to actions taken by law enforcement, District policy will be strictly applied,” a district spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement. “The safety of our students is our number one priority.”
Officials did not say if Rayudu is still employed with the school district.
He was arrested at another location after Cea and her boyfriend called police, according to WSB-TV.
Rayudu was charged with first-degree burglary and loitering, online records show. He remained in the Cobb County jail as of Feb. 23 on a $22,220 bond.
Marietta is about 20 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 8:55 AM with the headline "School bus driver barges into home looking for little girl, Georgia mother says."