School bus driver charged after detour into cornfield
The bus had pieces of corn stalks hanging from its undercarriage when police located it. The driver had children on board and was allegedly impaired.
WATERFORD, Wis. — A school bus driver was allegedly impaired on the job when he careened into a cornfield on Tuesday, police said.
A 911 call just after 2 p.m. reported that a school bus had driven off road and into a cornfield, then had re-entered the roadway and continued driving.
Deputies from the Racine County Sheriff's Office learned that the driver was still on his route with children on board.
Deputies located and pulled over the bus in the adjacent town of Burlington. They found pieces of corn stalks hanging from the vehicle's undercarriage.
Authorities identified the driver as Jason Stalbaum, 36. The bus is owned by S & J Bus Service Inc.
Deputies determined that there were four children on the bus during the cornfield incident. Two of the children had been dropped off when police stopped the bus. No injuries were reported.
Stalbaum was arrested and charged with operating while impaired, hit-and-run, failure to report an accident, and unsafe lane deviation.
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