LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. - Arrest warrants have been issued for three adults following a confrontation aboard a Lumpkin County school bus that was transporting elementary school students, according to the sheriff’s office.
What we know:
The incident happened Sept. 14 aboard bus 22-36 during its afternoon route from Cottrell Elementary School.
Investigators said the substitute driver had about eight years of school bus driving experience but was operating that particular route for the first time.
Problems began before bus left school
Timeline:
According to the sheriff’s office, students were yelling, fighting, changing seats, throwing objects and refusing to follow instructions before the bus left the school.
Administrators, including an assistant principal, boarded the bus several times to help restore order. Investigators said the behavior continued after the bus departed, forcing the driver to stop repeatedly while trying to get students to follow safety rules.
When the bus arrived at the first of two designated stops in the Highland Trace Apartments area, students assigned to that stop were allowed to leave. One child assigned to the second stop also exited but was instructed to return to the bus.
Adults then approached and asked the driver to release additional children, the sheriff’s office said. The driver reportedly explained that those students were assigned to another stop and needed to remain seated before the route could continue.
Investigators said the situation escalated as more adults gathered around the bus and communicated with students through its windows.
Charges filed against 3 adults
What happened next:
Warrants were issued Sept. 16 for April Michelle Disspain, Tony Ray Chastain and Mariah Quinones.
Disspain faces charges of simple battery, disrupting or interfering with the operation of a public school bus and disorderly conduct.
Investigators allege Disspain entered the occupied bus, aggressively confronted the driver and made physical contact with her while forcing her way into the passenger area. She is also accused of removing multiple children and using profanity in front of them.
Chastain faces charges of disrupting or interfering with a public school bus and disorderly conduct. Investigators allege he entered the bus, yelled and cursed at the driver, demanded that children be released and assisted or encouraged their unauthorized removal.
Quinones faces one charge of disrupting or interfering with the operation of a public school bus. Investigators said she entered the bus and removed her child without authorization while the driver remained responsible for the students aboard.
The sheriff’s office said investigators found no evidence that Quinones touched or threatened the driver and did not establish probable cause for assault, battery, threats or disorderly conduct charges against her.
Investigation remains active
What they are doing now:
Investigators obtained the available interior bus-camera recordings through a search warrant served on the school system Sept. 15. The sheriff’s office said no relevant video evidence was lost.
Deputies also reviewed body-camera footage, witness videos and statements, the driver’s recorded interview and school transportation policies.
Additional school transportation and student records have been subpoenaed to identify all children on the bus, confirm their ages and assigned stops, and determine whether other children were removed by adults who were not their legal guardians.
The investigation remains active, and additional charges are possible. All three defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.