Man looking for ride allegedly steals school bus

SALEM, Mo. — The Rolla Daily News reports that a man was arrested for allegedly stealing a North Wood R-IV School District bus while looking for a ride to St. Clair after a fight with his girlfriend.

Donald L. Francis was charged with tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree, a Class C felony.

On Monday morning, district staff members noticed that a school bus was missing. Later that afternoon, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office received information that the bus was located in St. Clair by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies made contact with Francis, who gave the keys to the bus to the deputies.

Francis told deputies that he was visiting Salem for Father’s Day with his girlfriend, according to the newspaper. They started to fight and she left with his children and traveled to St. Clair. Francis admitted to the deputies that he was intoxicated and began looking for a ride to St. Clair. He walked to the North Wood R-IV school and found a bus with keys in it, the sheriff’s office told the newspaper. Francis then told deputies that he drove the bus to St. Clair.

The sheriff’s office also told The Rolla Daily News that Francis said that he blacked out and does not remember much except taking the bus and waking up in Stanton.

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