Bus driver accused of driving drunk with elementary students on board, officials say

We are learning more about what led to a school bus driver being arrested while she was driving elementary students home over one week ago.

According to court documents, Kelly Weber picked up 54 children from the Boyertown Elementary School at the end of the school day on Friday, Feb. 6.

Five of those children were under the age of six, officials said.

Then, around 4:11 p.m., an officer with the Douglass Township Police Department was called to the intersection of Jackson Road and Third Avenue after it was reported that a school bus was driving erratically.

Officials said that they were told that the bus almost hit other cars and a telephone pole.

When the officer arrived to the intersection, he said that he found the bus stopped in a snow bank.

The officer said Weber failed a sobriety test at the scene and once she was taken into custody, authorities found a receipt that showed she had purchased two small bottles of vodka.

Her blood-alcohol test showed that she was triple the legal limit, court documents report.

Law enforcement searched Weber and reported finding two small vodka bottles that were empty as well as one larger bottle that was open in her purse.

Police said that several parents gave them text messages from the kids on board who complained that they were scared and described the way Weber was driving the bus.

One boy got off the bus at an earlier stop because he was scared, his parents told police.

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Boyertown School District sent a letter to families saying that it’s asking the Quigley Bus Company to review safety practices and increase drug and alcohol screenings for drivers.

Quigley Bus Company sent NBC10 a statement on Tuesday that explained that Weber was placed on unpaid leave while the company cooperates with the police investigation.

An attorney for Weber said that his client is in treatment and is planning to turn herself in to face criminal charges once she completes the program.