SBF Incident Report Roundup: March 1, 2022

Report Reveals School Bus Drivers Remain Behind the Wheel After Multiple Crashes

A report by Tampa-based WTSP reveals several school bus drivers in the area are still allowed to transport students, despite having multiple crashes on their records. In one instance, a Manatee County (Fla.) driver was involved in five accidents in three years before she was terminated. In another case, a Polk County (Fla.) driver was involved in two crashes in two days. Many school districts have point systems for drivers with traffic violations, according to the article. A driver may be given multiple warnings before they are taken off the road or fired.

The report came after an Orlando woman's service dog was killed when a school bus pulled out in front of her in December.

School Bus Driver Paid Children For Cheek Swabs, Families say

Parents in Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) tell reporters at Charlotte-based WSOC that a school bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools offered their children $5 to swab their cheeks. Multiple parents reported their children were given a swabbing stick to swab their mouths, and were then given $5 after putting the stick in a cylinder. The students reported that the driver then scratched their names off of a clipboard and asked for the students' dates of birth. The parents said it happened without their permission. Police and the school district are investigating the incidents.

School Bus Drivers Attacked, Robbed

Police say two 70-year-old school bus drivers were attacked early one morning last week in Brookyln. The attacks, caught on surveillance camera, happened in a school bus parking lot, according to CBS News. Police reported that multiple suspects punched and kicked one of the victims before stealing cellphone chargers from the bus. That victim was taken to the hospital. Authorities are searching for the suspects.

Third Man Sentenced in School Bus Driver's Murder

A man charged with killing a Columbus (Ohio) school bus driver in 2019 as part of a murder-for-hire plot will spend at least 15 hears in prison. According to WCMH in Columbus, 22-year-old Tarayle Glick pleaded guilty to murder and tampering with evidence for his part in John Clinedinst's death. He is one of three people charged in Clinedinst's killing. Glick was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. According to court records, Glick and two other men waited on the front porch of Clinedinst's home, stabbing him when he walked outside to go to work. The man authorities say arranged the murder-for-hire also pleaded guilty to the murder. The two other men who took part in the murder alongside Glick also pleaded guilty.

School Bus Driver Charged with DUI and Child Endangerment

A Sitka (Alaska) school bus driver was charged with driver under the influence and child endangerment after police say she drove her school bus in the wrong direction and hit both a marked police car and a parked car last week. The police statement said 61-year-old Kristi Coltharp was charged in the crash. According to KTOO, the driver was carrying 21 elementary school students when she lost control of the bus. Police chased Coltharp, who eventually came to a stop after veering into several sidewalks and curbs. Police report her breath alcohol level was 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit, and failed a field sobriety test. No injuries were reported in the crash.