By SAXON DAUGHERTY
Staff Writer
A former Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District bus driver accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl three years ago waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
Charges filed against Louis J. Saluga III, 42, of Hilliards, Butler County, will now be bound over for further proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas.
Saluga is facing felony counts of statutory sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault of a person less than 16 and indecent assault/forcible compulsion.
A criminal complaint filed through District Judge Patrick Lowrey’s office by trooper Brian O’Toole of Franklin state police said Saluga was interviewed on June 25, 2014, and he said he spent time in the girl’s bedroom three times and they had kissed.
In December 2014, Saluga was sentenced to serve five years of probation for the misdemeanor count of corruption of minors.
The teenage girl was interviewed on Jan. 28, 2016, at the Venango County Courthouse, where she said her relationship with Saluga was sexual, the complaint said.
The girl said they had engaged in sexual acts six to seven times, with the first instance being on May 29, 2014, the complaint said.
The girl told police none of the acts was forced, but she felt pressure to go through with them, the complaint said.
Due to the information provided by the girl, her blanket, two pairs of underwear, a bra and a pair of shorts were sent to the state police laboratory for testing, the complaint said.
On June 29, 2016, a report on the testing of the items was completed by the Erie lab, which said Saluga’s bodily fluids were found on the blanket and two pairs of underwear, the complaint said.
A search warrant was obtained Aug. 24, 2016. It authorized the collection of DNA from Saluga, the complaint said.
The report said Saluga’s DNA matched the ‘Y’ chromosome halotype that was obtained from the blanket from the girl’s bedroom, and a pair of the girl’s underwear, the complaint said.
Saluga was taken into custody last month and placed in the Venango County jail on $50,000 bail.
But Saluga’s bail was modified Wednesday to $50,000 unsecured.
