Montevideo bus driver charged with possession, dissemination of child pornography

A former school bus driver for Montevideo Public Schools has been charged with possessing and disseminating child pornography.

Paul James Norton, 39, faces up to 17 years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Chippewa County, a Montevideo investigator was notified on Dec. 5 that the Minnesota BCA received cyber tips about child pornography.

An undercover deputy in Orange County, Florida, was posing as a 14-year-old boy and interacted with a Kik account determined to be Norton, according to court documents. The Kik account sent a photo of himself that was identified as Norton using his driver’s license and from body camera footage from when Montevideo officers interacted with him.

Norton then sent child pornography to the undercover deputy via Kik and Snapchat. He also said he had previously met with a 14-year-old on Grindr and they “had sex.”

The undercover deputy got a search warrant for the Snapchat account, which came back with Norton’s phone number.

While searching social media, investigators found an account with photos of Norton using a different name. According to court documents, the Facebook page states the user is a school bus driver at East Central Bus Service.

Investigators spoke with Norton at East Central Bus Service’s garage in Montevideo. He said he believed someone had gotten into his Snapchat because minors kept adding him on there. He claimed that he deleted them when he found out their age. Norton also said the Facebook account using a different name was his and the name he used was from when he was going to be adopted a few years ago.

Court documents state that Norton admitted to using Grindr and he had once spoken to someone claiming to be 17. He was then called by a North Carolina number — the person said that if Norton paid for their child’s counseling, they wouldn’t press charges. Norton said he reported the call as spam.

He added that he deleted his Grindr account and changed his phone number and told investigators he now reports minors to Grindr.

According to court documents, Norton also admitted to being the owner of the Kik account that he undercover deputy was using. He added that someone on Kik sent him child pornography and he would send them to other people.

Norton also told investigators that the last time he met up with someone underage was “years ago.”

Investigators continued the interview at the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said they knew he had sent child pornography to the undercover deputy and when they asked if that was correct, Norton reportedly responded, “possibly.” He later reportedly admitted to disseminating child porn.

Court documents state Norton told investigators he was “struggling with his urges” after he had been out of treatment. He added that it was hard to find a counselor to talk to because he thought he would be judged and possibly reported.

Norton said in 2012, he was living in New York and was talking to a 16-year-old about being in a relationship but it never worked out. He said he never had sex with the teen.

Investigators found more evidence of Norton sending people child pornography on his accounts.

In a letter to the school district, Montevideo Public Schools Superintendent Wade McKittrick said Norton is no longer employed by the bus company and “there is no evidence” to suggest that any Montevideo students were involved.

“The individual in question was employed as a bus driver for the company that contracts with the district for transportation services for approximately three months,” McKittrick said. “Prior to be hired, the individual went through all relevant background checks, per company policy and state law. Due to our legal need to maintain confidentiality, we cannot share further details at this time.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to East Central Bus Service for a statement and will update this article if one is received.