'It's not acceptable': Bus driver arrested after drinking on job
Apr. 18—GREENUP — A school bus driver in Greenup County was arrested for drinking on the job in between sessions of operating a school bus during a local athletic event, according to police.
Lisa A. Nichols, 57, of Lloyd, and a bus driver in the Greenup County School District, was arrested Tuesday, April 16, at 10:19 p.m. after blowing a .133 in the Russell Middle School parking lot.
Traysea Moresea, Greenup County Superintendent, said no matter what the law allows in terms of blood-alcohol content levels, there is no tolerance for one drop of alcohol in the stomach of people working in transportation for the district.
"The level is zero, meaning none when they are on the job. My expectation is you are on the job and you're doing things safely," she said.
"It's not acceptable," she added.
An employee in the district reported Nichols appearing intoxicated and expressed concern of her driving the kids back to the school, according to the citation.
A Flatwoods police officer was contacted around 9:50 p.m. and was met on the scene by Phillip Kearns, chief of Greenup County School Systems. The officer said the bus driver was waiting on children to get finished with an event, according to court documents.
Moresea confirmed Nichols did partake in drinking while waiting for an event to conclude. Somebody in the parking lot noticed suspicious behavior and immediately reported it to school officials, she said.
"She (Nichols) was planning on driving them back. That wasn't happening. Those are children's lives in that bus and there are other people on the road," she said.
Upon arrival at the school, the officer was met by Kearns. The officer said the chief contacted Nichols, who admitted to having a "drink with an extra shot during dinner" at a local restaurant in Russell, according to police. She was not "observed operating" the school bus by the chief or any officer on the scene of the incident, police said.
Bus drivers and transportation service employees were appalled by the behavior, she said.
"Our entire transportation staff was shocked, they couldn't imagine making that type of decision and they were very upset when they heard about it," Moresea said.
"They know the expectation here and that is not something that we would ever condone or say would be OK. It is not a responsible way to do your job. Our team travels 2,800 miles with both a.m. and p.m. routes. They understand the responsibility of other people's children being in their care," She said.
According to KRS 222.202(1) addressing offenses of alcohol intoxication or drinking alcoholic beverages in a public place, it states a person is "guilty of alcohol intoxication when he appears in a public place manifestly under the influence of alcohol" to the degree that the person may endanger themselves, other persons or property.
While working late and attending an event at McKell Middle, Moresea had just arrived home when she received a call pertaining to the incident, she said. It was prudent to inform families of the situation, with transparency and safety among reasons, she said.
"Our district intends to be transparent about the incident. Our No. 1 goal is safety and we do not take reports lightly," Moresea said in a Facebook post informing the public Tuesday.
"At no point did students interact with the driver while they were impaired, and they did not ride with the driver while impaired. Thanks to the alertness of others, a scary situation had a safe ending. Please do not let this incident overshadow all the amazing drivers and staff members who serve at Greenup County Schools," she added in the post.
Nichols was transported Wednesday to Greenup County Detention Center and charged with first-offense alcohol intoxication in a public place.
(606) 326-2657 — ajohnson@dailyindependent.com
