The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department arrested a school bus driver for Norris Public Schools on Wednesday for DUI. Chief Deputy Ben Houchin says around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon their school resource officer from Norris was contacted by school staff about a possible intoxicated bus driver.
He says the deputy made contact with the staff and the bus driver, 67-year-old Betty Johnson of Hickman. “During that time Johnson was was noticeably highly intoxicated,” Houchin says. Johnson failed a preliminary breath test and was arrested and taken to jail where her blood alcohol content was .22. ‘That’s almost three times the legal limit to be driving, let alone be driving a school bus, which you need a CDL to do,” Houchin says.
She was booked for felony child abuse and driving under the influence. Houchin says Johnson drove the morning and noon bus routes and was supposed to be doing the after-school bus route. Houchin says Johnson admitted to drinking prior to doing her noon bus route. “I’ve been doing this job for 32 years now. I have never heard of a school bus driver being intoxicated, let alone this high.”
Houchin says during her noon bus route, Johnson didn’t sound correct on the bus radio and then they made contact with her when she returned for her after-school route. Deputies contacted Johnson in her personal vehicle heading back to school for her afternoon route.
Photo: Lancaster County Dept. of Corrections