Unable to wait to obtain his driver’s license, a 12-year-old boy stole a school bus to take for a joy ride around Bangor, Maine. The suspect was only caught after a passerby noticed the driver behind the wheel looked a little too young to be driving. John St. Germain and his girlfriend followed the bus and called police. St. Germain then went above and beyond after the bus stopped at an intersection and the Good Samaritan entered the bus to take control of the wheel. No one was hurt, and the boy was taken into custody. St. Germain was honored by Bangor police for his efforts. “There is no question in our minds that John St. Germain saved the youth from causing more property damage but it is highly likely that he also saved the boy and other drivers from injury,” police said.
A South Carolina mother is in custody after she drunkenly stumbled aboard a school bus to threaten the driver and curse at student passengers. Obviously, this occurred during the morning route since intoxicated tirades such as these are best to start the day as opposed to end them. Area police were told by the bus driver that Gabriele Ruth Privitera, who was still drunk from a heavy round of boozing the night before, boarded the bus when the driver stopped to pick up a child. The driver repeatedly demanded that Privitera leave the bus, but she refused and starting swearing at the children. Privitera then took it a step further and started threatening the driver in front of the students, even getting up in the bus driver’s face and physically assaulting her. The driver finally called for help. Privitera somehow communicated to police that she got on the bus because she was upset that some kids had been picking on her child. Now she faces a slew of charges, such as third-degree assault and battery, interfering with the operation of a school bus and public disorderly conduct. Police commended that bus driver in a statement: “The bus driver did a great job of keeping her composure during the incident and ensuring the safety of the students on the bus. The children on the bus were never in any harm’s way from the suspect. It is sad that the busload of children had to see this mother get stupid in front of them and hear the language she used during her unlawfully boarding of the school bus.”
Students in the Appoquinimink School District have waited up to an hour for school buses to arrive or take them home, delays persistent since the school year started. “What we’re facing right now is a national issue,” said the superintendent. Advanced Student Transportation, which has a majority of the district’s bus routes, has been hit hard by the driver shortage that has embroiled much of the country. School bus companies have placed ads to hire drivers in order to meet contractual requirements and fill scheduled routes. But an improving economy has dealt a blow to the lack of adequate drivers, as drivers with CDLs may be more attracted to driving a truck for more pay than the $15 an hour part-time job of driving a bus full of kids.
Police are continuing to release details of the recent shooting at a Virginia area school bus stop that left one dead and another in critical condition. As the investigation continues, more information has emerged, painting a clearer picture of what happened in full view of students and parents preparing for the morning. Police reported that 17-year-old Chase Harris was shot and died at the scene. Another unidentified 17-year-old high school student was shot and wounded. Authorities believe the two teenagers were involved in a drug deal. Police aren’t actively looking for additional suspects. The teenager that collapsed did so while running toward a school bus preparing to load children. He was helped by parents of the students. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
