A former Fountain Lake Elementary School bus driver was arrested on child endangerment charges Wednesday for allegedly drinking while driving a bus with 16 students on board on Jan. 12.
Anita Jean Cox, 57, who lists a Hot Springs Village address, was taken into custody by Hot Springs Village Police at around 7 p.m. Wednesday and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
Cox was later released on $1,000 bond and is set to appear March 19 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Jan. 12, Garland County sheriff's Deputy Justin Butcher was reportedly contacted by Keith Baker, the Fountain Lake Facility Transportation director in reference to an incident that occurred on the No. 4 school bus the previous night.
Steve Freeman, Fountain Lake Elementary School's assistant principal, reportedly witnessed the incident. According to the affidavit, Freeman said the bus driver for FACES, an after-school program, "almost had a wreck and seemed to be impaired while driving."
He said that driver, identified as Cox, was transporting 16 students to Fountain Lake Elementary from the Cordova Center in Hot Springs Village, and almost had a head-on collision.
Freeman reportedly yelled Cox's name and she "jerked the bus back across the centerline." He also reportedly saw her driving back and forth across the centerline of the road and in and out of oncoming traffic several times.
Cox was reportedly seen on the bus security camera drinking out of a glass Mason jar containing a clear liquid. Baker allegedly found the Mason jar in a console storage box in the bus driven by Cox the day before.
The jar and security video were given to Investigator Brandon Huckaba and sent to the state crime lab. On Feb. 6, the contents of the jar were tested and allegedly found to contain 42-percent ethanol alcohol.
Superintendent Michael Murphy told The Sentinel-Record on Thursday that Cox was placed on paid leave following the incident. However, she submitted a letter of resignation that was accepted by the Fountain Lake School Board on Jan. 19.
Cox did not drive for the district from the time she was placed on leave to the time of her resignation, Murphy said, adding that the investigation was handed over to law enforcement.
"We're very thankful no one was harmed and that all our students were safe," he said. "We are obviously very disappointed, but thankful no one was injured."
Local on 03/02/2018