School bus driver was drunk when she crashed with students on board, Michigan cops say

A school bus driver in Michigan was arrested after police say she crashed into a street sign while driving intoxicated.

Officials say 30 to 40 students were on the bus at the time of the crash, though none were hurt.

The Sterling Heights Police Department was called to the scene at about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, according to a news release. There, they learned the bus had gone off the road and struck the street sign, leading to “minor damage.”

Officer detected “a strong odor of intoxicants coming from her breath” when talking to the bus driver, police say, leading them to conduct a breath test. The preliminary test showed a blood-alcohol content of .10, over the legal limit of .08.

Police say the driver was immediately arrested and booked into jail. Any charges against the driver have not been made publicly available.

“The safety of our students is the number one priority for Utica Community Schools as we work in partnership with the Sterling Heights Police Department,” the district said in a statement shared on Facebook. “The individual is no longer operating a bus in Utica Community Schools, and there will be a thorough investigation as we closely follow all employee policies and procedures.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 6:20 PM with the headline "School bus driver was drunk when she crashed with students on board, Michigan cops say."