A bus driver in northeastern Minnesota was arrested last week after police discovered that he was driving his bus route while under the influence of alcohol.
If you feel like you’ve heard this story before, you’re right. Last month, we wrote a blog about another Minnesota school bus driver who pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated after crashing her bus into a farm field while attempting to turn around during her bus route. Thankfully this latest story doesn’t involve a crash, but another Minnesota bus driver is under arrest after shuttling kids while under the influence.
According to reports from law enforcement officials, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office received a tip just after midnight Wednesday from a “concerned citizen” who reported that an off-duty bus driver was highly intoxicated and unlikely to be sober by the time his bus route started later that morning. Instead of laying in the weeds and waiting until the bus driver made a mistake, police actually reached out to the driver at his home at 6 a.m. Wednesday, where the driver assured police he would not work later. The sheriff’s office also informed the school district about the driver.
An hour later, the school district reached out to police to inform them that the driver was on his route, and deputies quickly caught up with him and pulled the driver over without incident. The driver was arrested on charges of second-degree DWI and operating a school bus with evidence of alcohol present in the person’s body. 17 students were on the bus at the time the driver was stopped.
Warnings Unheeded
Although results from a blood draw are not yet available, results from a preliminary breath test revealed that the driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.16, more than twice the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle in Minnesota. School bus drivers are not allowed to have any alcohol in their system when operating a school bus.
We always try to give Minnesotans a heads-up when police crackdowns or driving enforcement periods are underway, but we are never surprised that some people still choose to roll the dice and drive dangerously or while under the influence. However, this one has to take the cake. Police went to the driver’s residence, told him not to drive because he would likely be arrested, and the driver still opted to make a poor choice and get behind the wheel after drinking. He’s going to have a very hard time building any sort of credible defense, and his efforts are likely better focused on proving remorse and taking accountability for his actions.
We’re glad the students are safe, and we hope the bus driver gets the help they need to make better decisions in the future. For now, if you need legal help in the greater Twin Cities area, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
