THE NEWS DESK
The News Desk is a collection of news, notes and breaking items affecting the Fredericksburg community.
Camera out in school-bus clash
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
All Stafford County school buses have video cameras on board. But the Sheriff’s Office won’t be able to rely on an instant replay to find out what happened Friday afternoon on Bus 240.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 15-year-old Brooke Point High School student after Stafford County public schools’ dispatcher called deputies to respond to an outburst on the bus. The driver stopped the bus at about 2:45 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Crescent Boulevard and Allatoona Lane north of the county courthouse when several students began yelling at each other.
Stafford Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bill Kennedy said a deputy used a Taser to subdue the student after he yelled obscenities and ignored repeated demands to get off the bus. Kennedy said another student grabbed a deputy from behind.
But the bus’s camera won’t help the investigation.
“It was one of our older buses and the video camera was inoperable,” said Valerie Cottongim, spokeswoman for Stafford schools.
All of Stafford’s buses are equipped with cameras as a safety measure. But much of the school division’s fleet is older, including Bus 240, Cottongim said.
Friday’s incident is extremely rare, she said.
“There was nothing typical about this,” Cottongim said. “Never has there been any incident where the Sheriff’s Office had to come onto a bus and remove students.”
The 15-year-old boy was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, and curse and abuse, and was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
A 15-year-old girl on the bus was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct.
The students involved in the outburst could also face disciplinary action from the schools.
According to Stafford schools’ Code of Conduct, any student who disrupts the bus ride or defies the driver could receive a long-term suspension.
Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2012/10/16/camera-out-in-school-bus-clash/
