BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
A Bedford County elementary school bus driver was fired after driving children to school while under the influence.
On Thursday, 52-year-old Kimberly Ricketts, of Campbell County, was charged with three felony counts of child endangerment and one count of driving while under the influence on Thursday in connection to the incident.
We were told that on Oct. 7, a deputy was contacted by a concerned parent of a Thomas Jefferson Elementary student. The parent said his son and other children were picked up by Ricketts in her personal vehicle and driven to Thomas Jefferson Elementary
That’s when concerned parents contact the transportation department, then officials allegedly ordered her to get a saliva and blood test at about 10 a.m. Then, Ricketts reported to Bedford Memorial Hospital, where she was tested with a 0.10 blood-alcohol content level.
School officials tell us she was hired in 2006; however, she has not driven since the incident and has been terminated since then.
Ricketts was released from the Blue Ridge Regional Jail on Friday and has an arraignment set for Nov. 4.
ORIGINAL STORY
A bus driver is behind bars after driving children to school while under the influence, according to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.
52-year-old Kimberly Ricketts, of Campbell County, was charged with three felony counts of child endangerment and one count of driving while under the influence.
On Oct. 7, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Bedford County Public Schools mother saying her child’s bus driver was “acting suspicious” during the morning route to the elementary school.
According to authorities, this led to the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Social Services and the school system to open an investigation on the allegations about Ricketts’ actions and behavior.
Ricketts is being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail on a $3,000 secured bond.