Thurston County Sheriff addresses rumor about intoxicated school bus driver
A Tenino School District bus driver did not drive intoxicated on Monday, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said.
Sanders dispelled the rumor in a post to his Facebook page Wednesday.
A Thurston County Sheriff’s Office sergeant and a deputy responded to the Tenino and Bucoda area Monday after a person reported a school bus driver who was possibly intoxicated, Sanders said. The two south county communities are less than five miles apart.
“The caller reported that students were let off the bus at an irregular spot in town and observed the bus driving an irregular route,” Sanders said.
Deputies spoke with the bus driver and the bus barn operations manager, Sanders said. They reportedly learned that the bus driver was a substitute who took a wrong turn. The driver then made a “difficult maneuver” in Bucoda to return to the correct route, he added.
The driver showed “no signs of impairment” while speaking with deputies, Sanders said. Deputies also reviewed video from the bus and found no evidence of impairment, he said.
“Deputies did not smell any odor of intoxicants, no variance in pupil size, no slurred speech, no watery eyes and no coordination issues,” Sanders said.
“TCSO and the Tenino School District take all allegations such as this seriously, and I appreciate the concerned citizen who reported this so we could ensure our children are getting to and from the classroom safely.”
Sanders directed anyone with further questions to contact the Tenino School District.
The Olympian has asked the district to comment on the incident.
