Marlborough School Bus Driver Charged With Child Rape: DA

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A Marlborough school bus driver was formally charged Friday in the sexual assault of a boy under age 14 in 2023, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Derek Thistle, 32, was arraigned Friday on charges of forcible rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and open and gross lewdness in connection with allegedly sexually assaulting a male child who was known to him.

The charges stem from a July 2023 incident where Thistle exposed himself to a boy under age 14 during a video chat, Ryan said. The boy's aunt witnessed the incident, leading the boy to disclose that Thistle had assaulted him a few months earlier, the DA said.

Thistle will next appear in court on May 17, and was ordered held on $10,000 bail Friday. Conditions of his bail include no unsupervised contact with children, and no contact with the victim or his family.

Thistle worked as a Marlborough Public Schools bus driver, including for elementary school students, according to a social media post.