Minnesota school bus driver accused of DUI with 18 kids on board

A Minnesota bus driver has been accused of driving a school bus with 18 children on board while under the influence of alcohol.

The 44-year-old driver was arrested and charged after a concerned citizen alerted the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office just after midnight on Sept. 4 that the bus driver was drinking at a local bar while off duty, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

"There were concerns he was highly intoxicated and would not be sober by morning when he would likely begin his route," the sheriff's office said.

Deputies with the department were able to get in touch with the driver at his home around 6:30 a.m., and he told them he would not be working that day. The school district was informed about it.

Driver went on duty

But shortly after 7 a.m., authorities were notified the driver was "in fact working and had started his route."

Patrol deputies were alerted, and they were able to locate the bus and pull it over without incident. The driver was "ultimately arrested for DWI," police said.

Eighteen children were on board the bus at the time, ranging from kindergarten to high school students, according to court records. Police said all children were "uninjured and doing well." The children, who were students of Southridge School in Alborn, about 160 miles north of Minneapolis, were put in the care of the school district staff, and their parents were notified.

The St. Louis County School District did not respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment. Superintendent Dr. Reggie Engebritson, in a statement, said the school takes the "safety of our students and staff very seriously," Northern News Now reported.

"We are working in cooperation with the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office as they proceed with their investigation," Engebritson is reported to have said. "Even though there is a shortage of bus drivers, we are taking all measures to ensure that we have enough drivers to cover our routes in order to get our students to and from school safely.”

Sgt. Eric Sathers with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY on Wednesday that all 18 children were doing well.

Driver charged

The bus driver was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and for driving a school bus under the influence. His preliminary breath test results indicated his blood alcohol content at the time was 0.16, according to court records. The results of the blood sample, meanwhile, are pending. Under Minnesota law, there is "zero tolerance for a person to be under the influence of any amount of alcohol while operating a school bus," the police release said.

The suspect told the court that he had consumed an unknown number of beers at his home before going to the bar in Brookston, where he had two bottles of beer between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Sathers told USA TODAY the driver was released 12 hours after his arrrest.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.