On October 9, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office arrested Leo M. Surdam III, age 63, of Hoosick, for three counts of Forcible Touching, a class A misdemeanor, and three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor. The Hoosick Falls Central School District administration received a complaint from one of the victims, which prompted the district’s School Resource Officer to file a report. An investigation revealed that Surdam, while working as a Bus Driver for the district, allegedly subjected multiple children to sexually inappropriate contact.
Surdam was released on two appearance tickets, to appear on November 12, in Petersburgh Town Court at 7 pm, and on October 24, in Hoosick Town Court at 6:30 pm.
Following the arrest, Hoosick Falls Central School District Superintendent Patrick Dailey submitted the following statement to The Eastwick Press: “Due to information presented to the Superintendent of Hoosick Falls Central School District, please be advised that a bus driver under investigation by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department is no longer employed by the District. The safety and well-being of every student is our first priority. The District has complied with and turned over any and all information to the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department.”
If you or someone you know has any information related to the incident, please contact the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office at 518-270-0128.
There are no further details at this time.