Man charged after dispute on West Greene school bus
A Wind Ridge man was charged this week after he allegedly caused a disturbance on a West Greene school bus with children inside earlier this month.
Michael Lawrence Pettit, 28, is charged with unauthorized school bus entry, a misdemeanor, after an alleged incident Nov. 2. Bus 12 stopped on Route 21 in Richhill at 7:10 a.m. to pick up students when he allegedly began shouting at the school bus driver, Nellie Cooke, using profanity, police said.
He allegedly continued to shout after she told him children were inside, and entered the bus, according to court paperwork.
Pettit allegedly grabbed a backpack from the first row and threw it down the aisle, according to state police.
Cooke tried to close the bus doors, but Pettit allegedly held them open. She tried to pull away and he slammed the doors shut, causing them to jam, court paperwork indicates.
Children on the bus were upset and crying, police said.
“Obviously, that’s a practice that will not be tolerated,” said West Greene School District Superintendent Brian Jackson.
He said Pettit was a parent of children on the bus and thought his kids were being treated unfairly by the driver, which Jackson said officials found to be false. The school conducted an internal investigation.
Jackson said the driver handled the situation well.
He said he wants parents to understand it is illegal to board a school bus without prior authorization.
Bail has not yet been set in the case.