Pennsylvania school bus driver was drunk, high with 54 students onboard: officials

Montgomery County school bus driver drunk, high with 54 students onboard: officials

A Montgomery County school bus driver is facing dozens of charges after investigators say she was nearly four times the legal alcohol limit while driving 54 elementary school students home.

DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Montgomery County officials have issued an arrest warrant for a school bus driver they say drove a bus filled with children with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit.

What we know:

Kelly Weber, 46, is charged with Driving Under the Influence, 54 counts of Endangering the Welfare of Children and 54 counts of Reckless Endangerment.

Officials say she was driving erratically, narrowly missing other vehicles and nearly hitting a telephone pole while taking students home from school last month. Police responded to find the bus pulled over in a snowbank.

An open 750ml bottle of Tito’s vodka, two empty 50ml bottles of Tito’s vodka and a receipt from a Fine Wine & Good Spirits Store for the vodka from 9:22 a.m. that day were found on the bus.

Testing showed Weber’s blood alcohol concentration was .331, while the Delta-9 Carboxy THC level was 6.6.

Dig deeper:

An investigation found that 54 elementary school-aged children, five of whom were under 6 years old, were on the bus driven by Weber that day.

Officials say multiple children had also called or texted their parents about being scared while on the bus. 

One child even got off the bus at an earlier bus stop to get picked up by his parents.

What they're saying:

"More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated," said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.

"We are all thankful that this defendant didn’t crash the bus and cause further harm to these children." 

Genesis Garcia, whose younger brother was on the bus, told FOX 29 he was "really freaked out."

"I would definitely be freaked out," Garcia said. "I went on the bus when I was in elementary school — I would be really scared."

Thankfully, no students were physically injured. 

All riders were transferred to another bus and arrived home safely, according to the Boyertown Area School District.

In a letter to families, the district said in part:

"We are committed to doing all we can to ensure safe, reliable transportation for all students. As our contracted transportation service provider, Quigley Bus Service has already begun a review of their safety and security protocols, including more frequent and random drug and alcohol testing for all drivers assigned to our routes."

Quigley Bus Service confirmed Weber has been terminated, citing zero tolerance for behavior that endangers children.

In a statement, the company said it has begun increasing the frequency of drug and alcohol testing beyond what is required by the state and is reviewing policies and procedures to align with industry best practices.

"It was kind of a shock. I never expected that to happen," said parent Jillian McGlynn, whose daughter previously rode Weber’s bus.

McGlynn says she supports more frequent testing.

"Do random testing — when you get there, blowing into a stick to make sure you pass," she said.

What's next:

Police are arranging for Weber, who checked herself into a rehab facility immediately after the incident, to turn herself in.

She will then be arrested, arraigned on charges and have bail set.