Ohio woman's child sex abuse conviction reinstated

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has reinstated a school bus driver’s conviction on child sex abuse charges that a judge had set aside.

The state’s highest court said today that Judge James Burge of Lorain County Common Pleas Court lacked jurisdiction to overturn the conviction and sentence.

Nancy Smith of Lorain had been serving 30 to 90 years on charges of raping and sexually molesting three young girls who rode her bus to a Head Start preschool. Then, Judge Burge ruled in 2009 there was a flaw in how Smith was sentenced.

The Supreme Court ordered Judge Burge to issue a new sentence for the 53-year-old Smith, who has been free on bond pending re-sentencing.