Washington, DC — Catherine Maccarone, a 48-year old bus driver from Washington, DC, is facing DUI charges following a 911 call from a young student reporting that she was drunk while driving.
The little boy called 911 right after getting off the bus. He also said the driver’s breath smelled of alcohol and she wouldn’t let his other friends get off the bus with him.
Responding police officers said they found Maccarone a few minutes before 4pm on September 12 and they “smelled an obvious odor of intoxicants” coming from the driver. There were no children on the bus at that time Maccarone was arrested.
According to further investigation, Maccarone, who has been a bus driver for one year, just finished two afternoon bus routes wherein there could have been about 90 children riding on that day.
Maccarone has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by Longview Public Schools. The state’s Department of Education will also 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,” Superintendent Dan Zorn said 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 charges. Other additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.