A Charlotte-Mecklenburg bus driver allegedly left kids alone on his bus earlier this school year and only recently has been charged by police.

Mark Sherwood Foster, age 38, was charged with nine counts of misdemeanor child abuse by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Oct. 14.

Foster is a bus driver with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools District (CMS).

The incident allegedly occurred almost a month earlier, on Sept. 19.

It is not known exactly how many kids were on the bus at the time or how long they were left all alone in the vehicle.

No mugshot, bail, or additional arrest details were available on the CMPD website, however, it has been reported Foster had a court date on Nov. 14. Voter records indicate Foster is a Black male, registered as a Democrat in the Charlotte area.

WBTV’s Nick Ochsner tried to get information about the incident from CMS’ new Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill, however, she refused to address it when asked.

Watch:

In his report, Ochsner also reported one of the kids left on the bus alone was Foster’s own child and that “The incident has gone unreported until now. School leaders did not disclose the incident—nor the charges—prior to WBTV’s questions.”

CMS has not yet issued an official statement about why the district failed to tell the public following Ochsner’s reporting.

It is also unclear if the parents of the students involved were informed of the incident.

Law enforcement in North Carolina is not required to report arrests of education employees to the State Board of Education or the Department of Public Instruction.

Last year, a CMS bus driver offered to pay kids $5 to “swab their cheek.” CMS never identified the driver but did communicate with parents of the children involved.