An Indiana dad is headed for an extended stay behind bars after he egged on his son during a school‑bus scuffle.
Donquarious Ridley, 28, entered a guilty plea on Monday to contributing to a minor’s delinquency and two counts of battery on a child under 14, earning a two‑year prison sentence. His partner, 26‑year‑old Raven Barner, had already pleaded guilty to two similar battery charges months earlier. Both admitted they boarded a school bus outside their Greenwood, Indiana, apartment on Oct. 31, 2025, and urged Ridley’s young son to pick a fight with another child.
Afterward, Ridley and Barner jumped into the fray, assaulting a child they thought was bullying Ridley’s son.
An affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime reveals that interior bus cameras captured the whole episode. Police noted the video shows Ridley and Barner boarding the bus after Ridley’s son was already on board, despite the driver not granting them permission.
Barner, the boy’s stepmother, sparked a verbal clash with two children, telling one, “beat his a,.” She then added that she would have her stepson “beat his a,.” The footage appears to show Barner “encouraging” her stepson to “start an altercation.”
When the bus driver rose to place herself between Barner and a child, Barner struck two kids, hitting one “inadvertently.”
The affidavit shows Ridley on video urging his son to confront the boy Barner had struck. Police confirm the son obeyed and hit the other child. Ridley then tossed the boy to the floor, giving his son the green light to “begin striking him repeatedly.” After the assault, Ridley shoved another child back into a seat with enough force to knock against the bus wall.
On May 21, Barner received a one‑year jail term followed by a year of probation, and she must also complete a mental‑health evaluation.
Ridley’s two‑year sentence will be followed by two years of probation; he must also finish an anger‑management program, undergo a mental‑health assessment, and complete a substance‑abuse evaluation and treatment.
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