ISD 2142 bus driver arrested for DUI while with students

REGIONAL- A bus driver for the St. Louis County Schools was arrested early Wednesday for driving while intoxicated with students on board, authorities said.
Deputies arrested South Ridge School bus driver Anthony Israelson, 44, after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen just after midnight, the sheriff’s office said. They were concerned that Israelson was highly intoxicated and would not be sober by morning when he would likely begin his route.
Deputies contacted Israelson at his home around 6 a.m. He told them he was not working that day, according to authorities. However, shortly after 7 a.m., the school district notified deputies that Israelson had started his route. Deputies located the bus on Independence Rd., north of Seville Rd., and pulled it over without incident. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16, authorities said. That’s twice the current legal limit of 0.08 percent for most drivers. Under state law, however, school bus drivers are prohibited from having any alcohol in their system while operating a bus.
Seventeen children were on the bus at the time of the arrest, but no injuries were reported. School district staff took custody of the bus and students, and parents were notified.
Israelson was arrested and booked into the St. Louis County Jail on preliminary charges of second-degree DWI, a gross misdemeanor.
The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office will make the official charging decision at a later point.