*A school bus driver in Washington, D.C. has been arrested and charged with a DUI after allegedly driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that injured nine children.
Troy Reynolds, 48, an employee with Rome Charters, was driving 44 kindergartners from Ben Murch Elementary School in Washington, D.C. when the traffic incident occurred. Police said he was intoxicated while driving the students back from a pumpkin patch, in Chantilly, Virginia. As reported by PEOPLE, when the bus hit a rock and blew a tire, Reynolds kept driving until he veered off the road and into a ditch.
None of the children were seriously injured. Nine children were reportedly treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the scene by officers from the Sully District Station and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.
Reynolds allegedly tested with a blood alcohol content level of 0.20, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and charged with DWI, his second, as well as child endangerment, and nine counts of gross, wanton or reckless care for a child, according to authorities, per PEOPLE. Reynolds is reportedly being held without bond.
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Statement from Chancellor Lewis Ferebee regarding an isolated traffic incident while students from Murch Elementary were traveling back to school following a field trip in Fairfax County Virginia: pic.twitter.com/5NNRhdLZBi
— Chancellor Ferebee (@DCPSChancellor) October 27, 2022
Fairfax County Police said Reynolds’ should not have been driving as his license had been revoked in Virginia and suspended in Maryland. Additionally, the bus Reynolds was driving, as well as a second problematic bus, were allegedly taken out of service due to safety violations.
“There’s no way on God’s green earth he should have been driving that school bus,” Chief Kevin Davis said on WTOP’s daily podcast, The DMV Download.
DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee shared a statement Thursday on Twitter, saying: “We thank the Murch Elementary teachers and staff who ensured the students’ safety on their field trip today. All children were evaluated by emergency medical services following the incident and there are no injuries reported.
“We appreciate the support of Fairfax County law enforcement, who welcomed students at a nearby training facility as they awaited transportation back to the school. DCPS takes this incident very seriously, and our teams will do a thorough review of our transportation vendors to ensure that student safety is always prioritized. We are incredibly thankful that no one sustained injuries during this frightening incident,” Ferebee added.
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