Utica bus crashes with students; driver arrested for allegedly driving drunk

A Utica Community Schools bus driver was arrested Tuesday after crashing while allegedly driving drunk, Sterling Heights police said.

Officers were dispatched to eastbound Hall near Schoenherr around 4 p.m. and found the bus had veered off the road and hit a street sign, causing minor damage, the Police Department said in a statement.

About 30-40 Henry Ford II High School students on the bus at the time were not hurt, according to the release.

While investigating, officers “could smell a strong odor of intoxicants coming from” the bus driver’s breath, police reported. A preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol content results of 0.10, above the Michigan legal limit of 0.08, investigators said.

The bus driver was arrested and taken to the Sterling Heights Police Department for processing.

In a statement Tuesday, district Superintendent Robert Monroe said: "The safety of our students is the number one priority for Utica Community Schools as we work in partnership with the Sterling Heights Police Department. The individual is no longer operating a bus in Utica Community Schools, and there will be a thorough investigation as we closely follow all employee policies and procedures."