Blair Oaks bus driver won’t be charged with assaulting student

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Blair Oaks bus driver accused of assaulting a student last week will not face charges, the Cole County prosecuting attorney said Wednesday.

“Just clear after reading reports and viewing the video that criminal charges are not appropriate in this case,” Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson said in a written statement.

Thompson said the video appears to show an incident that should be handled by disciplining the bus driver.

Blair Oaks School District said last week that a school resource officer was called by the district’s superintendent in reference to a bus driver assaulting a student. Cole County deputies responded.

The bus driver was not named, though the sheriff’s office said in the release that they were accused of fourth-degree assault.

A Cole County Sheriff's Office incident report says that a deputy called the student's stepfather, who referred the deputy to the juvenile's mother. The deputy left the mother a message on April 1.

Durham Transportation Services runs the district's buses.

A spokesperson with the bus company told ABC 17 News in an email that the driver was put on leave before being fired.

Sheriff John Wheeler said the call was relatively routine, and his deputy submitted the case to the prosecutor for review. He said he was not surprised no charges were filed.