Sex assaults on church bus lead to arrest of South Carolina man, police say
A South Carolina man was arrested Wednesday after reports that a woman was sexually assaulted on a church bus, according to the Sumter Police Department.
Luke Stewart, a 59-year-old Sumter resident, was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, police said in a news release.
Stewart was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, according to the release. Officers took Stewart into custody after being notified by the leadership of Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church about the sex crimes by the church’s bus driver, police said.
Information about when the sexual assaults happened, and why Stewart and the victim were aboard the bus, was not available.
There was no word about the victim’s condition.
No bond has been set for Stewart, who is scheduled to return to court on the charges on Oct. 10, Sumter County judicial records show.
If convicted on the felony sex crime charge, Stewart faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, for each count, according to South Carolina law.
Despite Stewart’s arrest, an investigation is ongoing, police said.
There was no indication that there were other victims, but police urged any victims of a sexual assault to contact law enforcement and seek help through agencies like Pathways to Healing, the YWCA of the Upper Lowlands and the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Anyone with information about this incident, or looking to report a sexual assault, can call police at 803-436-2700, Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 12:39 PM.
