Crime
Methuen Police Arrest Two in Connection with Alleged Physical Abuse of Child on School Bus
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Two Lawrence women, ages 56 and 38, were arrested Tuesday by Methuen Police and charged in connection with the physical abuse of a 10-year-old child on a bus contracted with Methuen Public Schools. Nancy Vasquez, a bus monitor, was charged with assault and battery on a disabled person, while Marlene Cruz, a bus driver, was charged with permitting abuse of a disabled person, according to a statement Thursday from Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara. They were arraigned Tuesday in Lawrence District Court. “It was the school department’s prompt and thorough response to a parent’s concerns that prompted this investigation,” McNamara said. The statement noted Methuen Public Schools contacted the Methuen Police Department last Friday about a School Department investigation that found that a bus monitor had physical contact with the child and the bus driver failed to intervene or report the matter.