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Boston man charged with sexually assaulting MBTA bus driver
Michael Vandenbroeke has multiple convictions for violent offenses dating back to 2005, prosecutors said.
A Boston man with a lengthy rap sheet was held on $500 bail Monday after he allegedly sexually assaulted an MBTA bus driver in the South End.
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Michael Vandenbroeke, 41, pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, assault and battery on a public employee, and disorderly conduct on a public conveyance. Reached by phone Thursday, his attorney declined to comment on the case.
Prosecutors say Vandenbroeke, a Jamaica Plain resident, groped the bus driver’s chest after boarding at the Massachusetts Avenue and Washington Street Silver Line stop shortly before noon on March 26. After picking up a perfume bottle the driver had dropped and handing it back to her, Vandenbroeke allegedly grabbed the driver’s face, poked her in the eye, and placed his hand on her breast.
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The driver told officials she moved Vandenbroeke’s hand away and yelled at him, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Vandenbroeke reportedly sat at the back of the bus and got off a few stops later.
The alleged assault was caught on bus surveillance video, prosecutors said. Investigators circulated still images of the suspect — later identified as Vandenbroeke — and arrested him Monday at the Nubian Square station.
According to prosecutors, Vandenbroeke has multiple convictions for violent offenses dating back to 2005. Court records indicate his previous convictions include charges ranging from assault and battery to disorderly conduct and threatening to commit a crime, among other counts.
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Vandenbroeke is due back in court April 21. If he posts bail, he will be required to stay away from and have no contact with the bus driver.
“The women and men who operate MBTA buses and trains are instrumental in transporting our workers, consumers, visitors and students throughout the metro Boston area day in and day out and they deserve our praise and our gratitude,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. “An incident like this is an intolerable affront on them and on everyone who uses public transportation.”
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