Published: May 25, 2009 12:42 pm      

Bus driver takes wrong turn

Pauls Valley — A lengthy investigation has closed in on criminal charges against a Stratford school bus driver, who also has served as a reserve police officer in Maysville, on allegations he sent lewd text messages to two teenage girls.

The target of the inquiry by the Garvin County Sheriff’s Department is Eric Ulrich, 23, of Ada.

A total of nine criminal nine counts of lewd acts or proposals with a minor were filed against Ulrich in Garvin County District Court.

The accusations center on the more than 300 text messages allegedly sent by Ulrich to the two Stratford students, ages 13 and 14, over a recent period of about three weeks.

“He’s accused of using his cell phone in a graphic or sexual manner,” Lt. Travis Crawford said.

Specifically, Ulrich is accused of using text messaging to send “inappropriate and nasty” jokes and comments to the teenagers.

According to Crawford, Ulrich is accused of using the back-and-forth messages to ask the girls personal questions about things like their sexual activity and whether or not they drank alcoholic beverages.

“These were done in a manner that made them feel uncomfortable,” Crawford said, referring to the two girls.

“They’re all sexually oriented,” he said about the text messages between mid-April to May 5.

Authorities are accusing Ulrich of sending the triple-digit text messages to one of the girl’s phones during the time period in question.

“A majority of the messages were intended for both girls.”

Crawford said Ulrich, who at the time served as a reserve officer in Maysville, many times wore some combination of his police uniform when he drove the school bus.

“The girls knew something was wrong, and they told their parents. They reported it to law enforcement,” Crawford said about the text messages.

“They were concerned this individual was sending their daughters text messages that involved sexual content.

“If the parents hadn’t reported this who knows what would have happened.”

Once the alleged incidents were reported Crawford said the investigation on Ulrich involved interviews with the two girls, witnesses and Ulrich himself.