School bus driver arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence

A 36-year-old school bus driver was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Cottage Grove after allegedly driving a bus while under the influence.

The school resource officer assigned to Park High School responded to the high school around 3:10 p.m. and began investigating, according to the City of Cottage Grove.

School administrative staff had already removed the keys from the bus and additional officers then arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence.

He was brought to the Washington County Jail on probable cause third-degree DUI and child endangerment.

Below is the letter that was sent out to families at Park High School:

Dear Park High School Family,

I am writing to share information about an incident that happened during dismissal time today at Park High School.

While one of our staff members was helping students board a school bus operated by Big River Bus Company, they noticed that the bus driver appeared to be impaired. Members of our administrative team responded to support and contacted our School Resource Officer for assistance. Students were immediately removed from the bus. 

Cottage Grove Police immediately responded to the scene and placed the bus driver under arrest.

Because this is an active police investigation, we are not able to share more information with families at this time.

I appreciate the quick response of our staff in recognizing that something didn’t seem right with the bus driver. I also want to thank our School Resource Officer and the Cottage Grove Police Department for their prompt response to help keep our students safe.

Sincerely,

Todd Herber, Principal

Park High School

Thomas Severson, the COO of Big River Bus Company, provided the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:

We were alarmed to learn about a troubling incident involving one of our bus drivers at Park High School on Tuesday. The driver’s alleged behavior is a complete violation of our company policies, values, and commitment to student safety. The driver as well as the bus aide who failed to report the incident have been terminated.

We are deeply grateful to the school administration staff and school resource officer for their sound judgement and swift action, which prevented any student from being placed in the driver’s care Tuesday afternoon. We are fully cooperating with the investigation.