A 6-year-old girl was found wandering Chalmette, New Orleans after she fell asleep on the school bus Tuesday morning (April 25) and woke about 10 miles from her school, her presence unnoticed by the bus driver who had finished his route and returned to his home in St. Bernard Parish, states the parish Sheriff’s Office, according to WGNO.
The girl, who was found uninjured and in good condition, was spotted alone near the corner of Tournefort and East Magnolia streets by a neighborhood resident, officials said.
The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office became involved at about 8:30 a.m., when deputies received a call regarding an unattended juvenile. Responding officers found the girl in the care of the concerned resident, who lives in the 400 block of Pierre Street, not far from where the child was found standing alone.
Sheriff James Pohlmann said the girl had fallen asleep during the bus ride to the New Orleans charter school she attends, remaining on the bus after other students were dropped off for classes.
The girl woke after the driver, who did not notice she remained aboard, finished his shift and parked the bus near his Chalmette home. After waking, she exited the bus on her own, officials said.
Deputies released the child to her grandmother, who then gave permission to school officials, who had arrived on scene, to return her to school.
No charges have been filed against the bus driver, Pohlmann said in a news release Wednesday afternoon, but the case has been referred to the St. Bernard Parish District Attorney’s office for further investigation.
