A D.C. Public Schools bus driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated and child endangerment after going off-road with a bus full of 44 children and four adults.
The incident occurred as the children were returning from a trip to Cox Farms in Centreville. In a press conference last night, streamed by ABC7, Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) Captain Rachel Levy said the driver drove off the road, hit a rock, and flattened the rear tire.
“It’s obviously a very concerning situation,” Levy said. “We expect our children to go to school and come home safe every day, to include if they’re on a field trip. So this is very concerning and I believe this is something that Dc public schools will be taking very seriously.”
Levy said staff members were eventually able to get the driver to stop in a parking lot in the 1500 block of Conference Center Drive in Chantilly.
The children were transferred to the Fairfax Criminal Justice Academy in Chantilly.
Levy said officers who responded quickly realized Reynolds was intoxicated and he later tested with a blood alcohol content of .20. The legal limit is .08.
He noted the other bus on the field trip was placed out of service for safety violations and the driver was also cited for not having a valid commercial driver’s license. A replacement bus that showed up also had a similar safety violation and the bus driver did not have a valid commercial driver’s license.
Fairfax County Public Schools eventually provided two buses that transported the students back into D.C.