The Oglethorpe Echo
A Carlton man struck a school bus in the Oglethorpe County High School parking lot and fled the scene on the morning of March 19, according to the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office.
No students were injured, and the bus did not sustain any damage.
Authorities identified the driver as Russell Bruce, an Oglethorpe County High School paraprofessional and Vesta Baptist Church pastor.
Later that day, Superintendent Beverley Levine sent a virtual letter to parents of Oglethorpe County students, informing them that Bruce had been removed from his duties with the school system.
Levine’s letter said Bruce’s vehicle hit the back left tire while the bus was waiting to drop students off and that he continued driving. She wrote that emergency personnel arrived at the scene and all students were inspected by school nurses.
Bruce was pulled over on Highway 77 that day.
The Sheriff’s Office’s incident report stated that Bruce had a blood alcohol content of 0.217, above the legal limit of 0.08.
According to the incident report, Bruce’s vehicle had damage to the right front side, including the hood, bumper and headlight.
Bruce was charged with driving under the influence, hit and run with a failure to stop at or return to the scene of an accident and failure to drive within a single lane, and booked into the Oglethorpe County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,338.