A student transportation driver in Harrisburg will serve nearly eight years in prison after pleading guilty to driving a school vehicle under the influence of prescription drugs last year, reported FOX 43.

Heather Shumberger, 41, pleaded guilty in January to four counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of DUI, and a summary traffic offense.

Shumberger was reportedly sentenced to a prison term of four months to just under eight years last week. Once her prison terms end, she will also serve a period of probation.

The incident reportedly occurred on Oct. 30, 2023, when police officers pulled over Shumberger after receiving multiple calls from other motorists concerned with her erratic driving.

According to the article, Shumberger was driving a school van, traveling well under the posted speed limit of 65 mph, and swerving in and out of traffic lanes.

Responding officers said Shumberger’s van was located and pulled over. She began to doze off while interacting with officers and was unable to perform the field sobriety test.

Four students ages 9 to 19-years-old were inside the van at the time of the incident. The students showed police a video that showed Shumberger swerving while driving.

Police also reportedly watched outward- and inward-facing dash camera footage from the school vehicle that provided additional evidence of her erratic driving. Another driver was assigned to pick up the students and safely transport them to their destination.

The news report states that blood test later showed that Shumberger had Xanax, Klonopin, Pristiq, Soma, Zyprexa, Effexor and Buprenorphine in her system at the time of her arrest.

Related: West Virginia School Bus Driver Accused of DUI, Accepts Guilty Plea
Related: Ohio School Bus Driver Found Not Guilty of Driving Impaired
Related: Massachusetts School Van Driver Faces DUI, Child Endangerment Charges
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Admits to DUI After Crashing with Students Onboard

The post Pennsylvania School Van Driver Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for DUI appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Calhoun County Schools bus driver who was accused of DUI after being involved in a rollover crash accepted a guilty plea agreement, reported WSAZ 3.

The incident reportedly occurred March 4 at approximately 6 p.m., when 54-year-old Jeffrey Brannon was transporting 19 students on Route 16. He ran off the road and struck a culvert, causing the school bus to tip over.

The article states that students on board the bus ranged in ages from 11 to 18. Three students suffered serious injuries. Two of the victims were air lifted from the scene, but their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening. Their current condition is unclear at this time. All other students were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released.

Brannon was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and child neglect. A preliminary breath test at the scene showed he had .161 percent blood alcohol level, which is  four times the legal limit for a commercial driver. Brannon’s bond was set at $250,000 and the first preliminary hearing was held March 14.

Calhoun County Schools Superintendent Michael Fitzwater told local media that all applicable laws will be followed and that Brannon will never operate another school bus.

In the Citrus Court of Calhoun County, Brannon entered a guilty plea April 10 to three counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury and 16 counts of child neglect, creating risk of serious bodily injury.

Related: West Virginia School Bus Driver Indicted For DUI
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Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: Massachusetts School Van Driver Faces DUI, Child Endangerment Charges

The post West Virginia School Bus Driver Accused of DUI, Accepts Guilty Plea appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Northeast School Corporation bus driver in Farmersburgh, Indiana, was arrested after he allegedly operated a school bus while intoxicated with students, reported WBIW News.

According to the news report, Ryan Campbell was arrested after a staff member detected what she believed to be alcohol while grabbing an item from Bus #2 around 7:49 a.m. on Feb. 5. The staff member reportedly alerted school officials and authorities were contacted.

Chief Matthew Price of the Northeast School Corporation Police Department said he boarded the bus and immediately noticed Campbell exhibited general indicators of intoxication.

Campbell reportedly failed a field sobriety test. A subsequent chemical testing revealed his blood alcohol content was above the legal limit of .04 percent for commercial drivers.

The Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office is reportedly reviewing two Level 6 felony charges of neglect of a dependent and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with passengers under the age of 18. The judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.

Related: Massachusetts School Van Driver Faces DUI, Child Endangerment Charges
Related: Missouri School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Related: Round Up: School Bus Drivers Arrested for DUIs
Related: Minnesota School Bus Driver Admits to DUI After Crashing with Students Onboard

The post Indiana School Bus Driver Arrested for Allegedly Driving While Intoxicated appeared first on School Transportation News.

Wisconsin may be known for its cheese, but it’s also home to 10 of the 20 drunkest cities in America, according to a 2024 report from 24/7 Wall St. 2023 data from America’s Health Rankings also showed that Wisconsin had some of the highest levels of heavy, excessive and binge drinking in the United States. A previous DataWatch about Wisconsin health looks at these topics in more depth.

Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides a deeper look at what Wisconsin residents are drinking and how much. Its latest report, released in May 2024, provided data on consumption of various types of alcohol from 1970 to 2022. 

Among Wisconsin’s legal drinking age population, the consumption of beer decreased by 20% from 2012 to 2022, an analysis of that data shows. The average person 21 or older drank about 29.5 gallons of beer in 2022, which is equivalent to about 316 standard drinks. The NIAAA defines a standard drink as the amount of alcoholic beverage it takes to drink 0.6 fluid ounces of ethanol, the “active ingredient” in alcohol. For beer, this is about 12 fluid ounces.

Over the same time period, Wisconsin drinkers consumed 32% more spirits. NIAAA defines a spirit as an alcoholic drink with about 40% alcohol content. The 2022 average was 4.33 gallons per person, equivalent to around 370 standard drinks. A standard drink of spirits is about 1.5 fluid ounces and for wine is generally five fluid ounces. Wine drinking increased by 4% to an average of 3.42 gallons per person, which is about 88 standard drinks.

While the increase in spirits may seem small, the higher ethanol content means people are consuming significantly more “active” alcohol. In 2022, the average strength of ethanol consumed by a person 21 or over across all alcohol was 9.5%. In 2012, the strength was 7.9%.

While total consumption of alcoholic beverages dropped by about 13% between 2012 and 2022, there was a 4% increase in ethanol consumption. Alcoholic beverage consumption averaged about 37.3 gallons per person in 2022. The average ethanol consumption was about 3.55 gallons – roughly equivalent to 760 standard drinks in a year. That averages out to a little over two drinks each day. According to the NIAAA, the daily recommended limit of alcohol is two drinks for men and one drink for women.

Research from the National Cancer Institute indicates that daily alcohol consumption is linked to increased cancer risks across the human body. The National Institutes of Health also reported that long-term alcohol use can increase risk factors for over 200 diseases. It also writes that “no amount of alcohol is ‘safe’ or beneficial for your health.”

DataWatch: Wisconsin residents of legal drinking age consumed 35+ gallons of alcohol a person in 2022 is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.