A McKinney man who drove a bus in the Melissa Independent School District has been charged with multiple sex crimes involving children, including sexually abusing a young child and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Phillip Marcus Bates, 65, was first arrested by the McKinney Police Department on October 13 and charged with possession of child pornography (10 to 50 visual depictions), a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
He was booked into the Collin County Jail and released the next day on a $100,000 bond.
Bates was arrested again October 16 on additional charges of continuous sexual abuse of a young child under the age of 14, a first-degree felony, and sexual performance by a child, a second-degree felony.
He is currently being held in the Collin County Jail.
Bates’ prior surety bond was discharged after his second arrest. Bonds for the two second-degree felonies now total $200,000. No bond has been set for the first-degree felony.
Melissa ISD Police Chief Chris Fontana sent a safety notification on October 14, alerting parents to Bates’ arrest and stating that the district had “immediately terminated his employment.”
“At this time, we have no information indicating a connection between this matter and Melissa ISD students,” wrote Fontana.
Fontana directed families with questions or information about Bates to the McKinney Police Department.
Bates drove students on Route 15, according to Fontana. Texas Scorecard has asked Melissa ISD to confirm which school the route served and how long Bates worked for the district.
“We understand the importance of keeping our families informed and remain committed to the safety and well-being of every Melissa ISD student,” Fontana concluded.
Bates’ LinkedIn page shows he is a “hospitality and management expert” who has managed three food service businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex since 2010.
Online records show Bates drove a bus for Prosper ISD in the 2022-23 school year. Another Prosper ISD bus driver was arrested in May 2022 for molesting two elementary school girls for most of the 2021-22 school year, but the district hushed up the sex abuse scandal until the girls’ parents sued in August 2022.
Bates is listed in the state’s Do Not Hire Registry as “under investigation.”
Hundreds of Texas school employees have been arrested for sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the Texas Education Agency for sexual misconduct.
The TEA is currently investigating more than 3,000 educator sexual misconduct complaints and opening an average of 258 new cases each month.
Overall misconduct reports tripled in 2026 compared to 2025.
