School bus stolen by runaway juveniles crashes in Lexington
A school bus stolen by runaway juveniles crashed in Lexington Monday morning, authorities said Monday.
The bus was stolen Sunday night at the Knox County Public Schools bus garage in Barbourville. Frank Shelton, a spokesperson for the school district, said the juveniles ran away from the Appalachian Children’s Home, where the children were living, and went to the garage to steal the bus.
It’s unknown how the juveniles ran away from the foster care facility. Appalachian Children’s Home had no comment on the incident.
The juveniles used a tool to start the bus and drove through the gate, Shelton said. From there, the juveniles drove to Lexington, where the bus eventually crashed.
The crash happened on the 1900 block of Richmond Road, according to Lexington police Lt. Jesse Palmer. The bus, occupied by four runaway male juveniles, ages 13-15, hit a pole.
No injuries were reported.
The juveniles were eventually tracked down on the 1500 block of Versailles Road around 7:15 a.m. Monday, according to Palmer.
Managers from the foster care facility retrieved the juveniles and Knox County Public Schools officials retrieved the bus.
Damage assessment to the bus and gate at the bus garage is ongoing, according to Shelton.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said more information about the incident would be released later.
The juveniles were not enrolled in Knox County Public Schools, Shelton said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 12:25 PM.
