WOLCOTT, Conn. — A local man who said that his sleep was disturbed by a school bus was arrested after an alleged onslaught against the bus and its driver, police said.

On Thursday, the Wolcott Police Department received a call from an All-Star Transportation manager, who said that a man was trying to force open the doors of a school bus and was throwing objects at the vehicle.

Officers arrived at the scene and observed the man, identified as Keith Patzlaff, 55, standing near the bus. They reported that the man was “extremely agitated” and was yelling at the bus driver.

Patzlaff told one of the officers that he was angry because the bus woke him up with its idling on the road.

The school bus driver, who police said was “extremely nervous and shaken up due to Patzlaff’s conduct,” was waiting to pick up a high school student. There were no students on the bus at the time.

In a press release, the Wolcott Police Department provided this description of the incident:

“Suddenly Patzlaff exited his home and began yelling at [the bus driver]. She closed the driver’s window, and Patzlaff began pounding on the window and trying to open it. When he could not open the window, he began to throw snow and ice at the bus. Patzlaff then went to the front of the bus and pulled on the windshield wipers and slammed them onto the windshield. The driver, who was very frightened, called her boss, who in turn called the police department. Patzlaff went to the rear of the bus and attempted to gain entrance through the rear emergency door. He could not get this door open, so he went to the door on the driver’s side and forced it open, causing the alarm to sound. Patzlaff then began yelling at the driver, stopping as Officer Gorman arrived.”

Patzlaff was arrested and charged with breach of peace. While being transported, Patzlaff reportedly told Gorman that if the bus is out on the street again, he will do the same thing every day. However, the police department responded to Patzlaff’s threat in its press release:

“The Wolcott Police Department will not tolerate any negative, alarming conduct directed at students, schools or school buses.”

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

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