Germis Santos, of Brentwood, former Suffolk bus driver, pleads not guilty to child sex abuse charges

A former Suffolk school bus driver arrested in September and charged with course of sexual conduct with a child allegedly abused the victim multiple times a week for nearly two years, a prosecutor said at his arraignment in Riverhead on Wednesday.

Germis Santos, 37, of Brentwood, pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree course of sexual conduct with a child, as well as misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

The alleged abuse, charged in a three-count grand jury indictment, occurred from the time the child was 11 years old in 2021 to around the child's 13th birthday in 2023, Assistant District Attorney Sean Murphy told acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis.

"This happened at a rate of about twice a week," Murphy said.

The case garnered media attention after the superintendent of the Islip school district, where Santos began serving as a bus driver last month, notified parents of his arrest. Santos had been hired by the district's transportation provider, Suffolk Transportation Service, in March 2024. He was arrested on Sept. 23 of this year.

Santos's attorney, Vess Mitev, of Stony Brook, said no evidence has been brought forward alleging his client engaged in any criminal activity with a student or acted inappropriately on the job.

Santos "intends to vigorously dispute and deny the allegations," Mitev said.

Wilutis set bail at $50,000 cash or $350,000 bond, though Santos is currently being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Long Island. Murphy said Santos is a citizen of El Salvador, but Mitev said his client is living in the United States legally and immigration attorneys are working to address the ICE hold.

"His status was not in question prior to his arrest," Mitev said.

Mitev said his client has no prior arrests.

Thomas McAteer, executive vice president of Suffolk Transportation Service, told Newsday earlier this month, "This person had absolutely nothing in their criminal background that would've indicated that they would've been capable of ... the charges."  Santos has been removed from the service without pay since his arrest, the bus company executive previously said.

The bus company has not said what other districts Santos drove for.

In his letter to parents, Islip schools Superintendent Dennis O'Hara said Santos "will not return to our district."

Santos is due back in court Nov. 6.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.