MONTROSE, Pa. -- A school van driver accused of molesting one of his students pleaded guilty to lesser charges in court.
Donald Brand, the school van driver from Montrose, was charged with sexually assaulting a teenager. Wednesday morning, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of corruption of a minor in Susquehanna County court.
Court papers showed he had sexual contact with a student at Faith Mountain Christian Academy near New Milford.
In August of 2017, the Susquehanna County school van driver would take the teenager to and from school, according to court papers.
It was during that time when the pair started emailing each other. The witness says Brand kissed her and then touched her when she came to his home.
Court papers indicate Brand, who's married with children, did admit kissing her but, "not like that."
He was originally charged with institutional sexual assault but that charge was reduced by a judge to corruption of a minor.
"It wasn't a forcible encounter and the young woman involved was a week away from her 18th birthday. We probably wouldn't be here had more than a week passed," said attorney Paul Ackourey.
"It was institutional assault as a felony but that's been lowered to corruption and he's accepted responsibility for what he is done," Ackourey explained.
Brand could be sentenced to up to five years in prison next month.