'She was drunk:' Bus driver facing DUI charges after child calls 911 to report her
A bus driver in Washington is facing charges of driving under the influence and reckless endangerment after a young passenger called 911 to report that she was intoxicated.
Catherine Maccarone, 48, was arrested after a child who had just gotten off the bus told police her breath smelled of alcohol, according to audio from the 911 call obtained by several media outlets. The caller told dispatchers he'd tried to get his friends to get off the bus with him but Maccarone wouldn't let them.
"The bus driver, Catherine, she was drunk, because she passed three red lights and she got on the side road by the 76. And there's still kids on there," the child told the dispatcher. "She's like wobbling and her eyes, you can tell, she was drunk,"
Using the boy's description, police officers found Maccarone, 48, just before 4 p.m. on Sept. 12 and "smelled an obvious odor of intoxicants" coming from the driver according to a Facebook post from the Longview Police Department.
Police said she had just completed two afternoon bus routes, but there were no children on the bus at the time of the arrest.
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Up to 90 children may have been on the bus that day with Maccarone, who has been a bus driver for one year, Rick Parrish, Longview Public School district's communications coordinator, told ABC News.
Maccarone has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation that is expected to be completed early next week, according to a statement from Longview Public Schools. Superintendent Dan Zorn said a transportation representative from the state's Department of Education will review the district's bus operations and may offer additional safety recommendation.
“To help ensure this situation never happens again we implemented an improved process for screening drivers prior to driving their routes each day," said Zorn in a statement. "The safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority.”
Maccarone was booked into Cowlitz County Jail for driving under the influence and reckless endangerment. Police expect more charges will be added as the investigation progresses.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bus driver arrested after child calls 911 to report she's 'drunk'
