Michael Austin Ford, Arson, Utah 2024

**SALT LAKE CITY, Utah** – A former school bus driver, accused of igniting a bus full of children on two separate occasions, has been indicted and detained in Utah.

According to court documents, Michael Austin Ford, 58, of West Valley City, Utah, allegedly set a Granite School District school bus on fire in February 2022 while driving in traffic with 42 children inside. Ford, who used to work for the Granite School District, used an ignition device to start the fire and was captured on video continuing to drive the bus despite smoke billowing past his face towards the back of the bus where children were seated.

Just a year later, in April 2023, Ford was again driving a Granite School District bus in traffic when he was captured on video igniting a fire on the bus. Despite the fire, Ford continued to drive the bus with smoke billowing past his face.

Ford was arrested by Granite School Police in April 2023 and questioned about the fire, but he was released. However, the investigation continued, and on February 21, 2024, Ford was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of arson of a vehicle of an organization receiving federal funds.

U.S. Magistrate Judge ordered Ford’s detention on March 1, 2024, and a jury trial is scheduled for April 29, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins made the announcement, stating that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Thorpe is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. As stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the program fosters trust and legitimacy in communities, supports community-based organizations, sets focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measures results.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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