Fulton bus driver shares story after being fired

Fulton, Mo. (KMIZ.)

A Fulton bus driver was fired Tuesday after being caught on video using his phone while driving students.

The bus driver, 73-year-old Gary Storch said in an interview, some of the things parents are saying about him aren't true.

Storch said he was only trying to bring a little Christmas spirit onto the bus and he only used his phone to play music.

"I do not use a phone, I've played music on my phone. I have never called a soul on my phone", Storch said.

The driver says he never would've imagined playing music for children would backfire on him quite like this.

Just last week Brandy Bugg, a parent at Fulton School District posted a lengthy message along with videos on her social media of Storch. The video showed Storch on his phone while driving a bus full of children.

The post got a lot of attention from the community and according to the Callaway Sheriffs office, many people reached out to report the driver.

After asking Storch if he believed the parents should be upset with him, he disagreed.

"I don't think they should be because what I was trying to do is make it good for their kids on the bus and it's my phone is not the only thing I operate with one hand off the wheel. I have a two-way radio in the bus that I have to communicate with the school itself," Storch said.

The bus driver said playing his music with one hand is the same as communicating on his handheld radio.

"I have to take my hand off the stirring wheel and grab a mic.. press the mic.. talk into it...tell them bus 7 is coming to your school," Storch said.

The driver was also filmed picking up a mailbox after he allegedly ran into it.

"I just set it back up... it was held up uh four by four concrete slab and that's all that was holding it, so it didn't take much to pick it back up and set it up. I'm guilty of that," Storch said.

This is the only thing Storch believes he is guilty of. Everything else he says was done for the kids.