A special needs bus driver for Madison County Schools faces felony sex charges in connection with alleged actions with a student dating to 2015.

Ronald Shelton, 70, of Long Branch Road in Marshall, is charged with thee counts of sexual activity with a student and one count of statutory sexual offense of a person 15 or younger. Shelton remains in custody on a $500,000 secured bond following his first appearance April 15.

Shelton’s arrest April 12 by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office came after a joint investigation with Madison County Schools into “inappropriate activity” with a student, according to a sheriff’s office statement.

The alleged statutory sexual offense occurred between July 2015 and July 2016, according to arrest warrants, when the female was 15.

The charges of sexual acts with a student stem from incidents alleged to have occurred with the same individual in 2017, warrants state. Shelton was a special needs bus driver at the time, according to warrants.

The Madison County Schools confirmed Shelton had served as a bus driver with the district since 2015.

“While we cannot comment on the specific conduct of employees, we can assure our community that Mr. Shelton’s employment has been terminated,” a release from Madison County Schools states. “We take student safety very seriously, and we will continue to cooperate and work hand-in-hand with the sheriff’s office’s investigation into this matter.”

If convicted on the statutory sex offense charge, Shelton could be sentenced to life without parole for the class B1 felony. Each count of the sex activity with a student charge, a class G felony, carries a maximum sentence of two and a half years.