Former school bus supervisor sought out oral sex with child, Independence police say
A former Kansas City-area school bus worker was arrested in May for allegedly attempting to solicit oral sex from a child during a sting operation carried out by police and federal agents, according to court documents.
Blair Marshall, 43, was charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with attempted second-degree sodomy. The investigation was carried out by Independence Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
He worked for First Student as a road supervisor, a position that fills in to drive routes when needed, from 2015 to 2017 and later worked for Student Transportation of America from June to November 2019. At the time of his arrest, he told officers he worked for a trucking company in Kansas City, Kansas, according to court documents.
According to charging documents, Marshall used his work phone on May 31 to message a number that undercover detectives listed on a site known for advertising sex workers. The ad officials placed read “DONT MISS OUT ON THIS DUO” and featured photos of undercover officers in various poses.
Marshall asked for rates, and detectives messaged back asking what he would want to do, according to the probable cause statement. They later told Marshall that a 14-year-old girl would be working that day.
Marshall allegedly replied saying, “Really 14” and “Where do I go?”
He allegedly went to a specific room around 4:35 p.m. at Stoney Creek Hotel in Independence, where he knocked on the door and was arrested, according to court documents.
A search found $150 cash in Marshall’s front shirt pocket, which was the rate detectives had discussed with Marshall, court documents said.
Before he was charged with the class E felony June 1, Marshall was placed on a 24-hour hold for attempted statutory rape/sodomy at the Independence Police Department.
The sting was part of a partnership between between police agencies and federal law enforcement called Operation Blue Ghost. It was meant to identify and arrest individuals trying to meet with minors for sexual acts, according to the probable cause statement.
Marshall was released on $50,000 bail on the conditions that he cannot have contact with anyone under the age of 17 and can’t use the internet, according to court documents.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Aug. 24.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 10:08 AM.
