A special needs nonprofit is facing a lawsuit after a woman with developmental disabilities was allegedly raped by a bus driver in their employ.
The suit was failed in January against the Nassau County Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC), with court documents purporting that the agency failed to property investigate claims against the driver, Steven Harrison of Roosevelt, 62, who worked for them for 20 years.
Claims include program participants being picked up or dropped off at incorrect times by Harrison, and that AHRC has no protocols in-place to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not left isolated or unprotected.
According to Detectives, beginning on March of 2022, while driving a female victim home as part of his route, Harrison would stop at the parking lot of the Home Depot located at 86 Jericho Turnpike and have inappropriate sexual contact with the female victim who was 24 years-old at the time with the cognitive ability of a 7-year-old.
On September 18, 2025 the victim who is now 27 years-old, informed a family member of the encounters and they reported the incidents to Police. After conducting a thorough investigation, defendant Harrison was placed under arrest without incident on September 23, 2025 at the AHRC located at 189 Wheatley Road, Brookville.
Defendant Harrison was charged with Rape 3rd degree, Endangering Welfare of an Incompetent Physically Disabled Person 1st degree and Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree. He reportedly pleaded guilty to the charges in December, 2025.
The lawsuit - which alleges that Harrison may have victimized others - seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and demands changes to ensure program participants are better protected.