5th-Grader Called 911 on Her. This Video Offers a Hint Why

Catherine Maccarone has resigned, is charged with driving under the influence, endangerment
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 30, 2019 7:34 AM CDT

A school bus driver in Washington state has left her job after an alleged DUI incident earlier this month, and now video has also been released. NBC News reports that 48-year-old Catherine Maccarone resigned last week after a fifth grader who'd ridden on her bus called 911 on Sept. 12 to report that Maccarone was "drunk" and had cruised through three red lights. In the almost two hours of footage obtained by KGW thanks to a public records request (a snippet of it is here), Maccarone is seen first in an empty bus talking to herself, then driving both high school and elementary students on her routes for the Longview School District. As she drives solo, she says to no one in particular, "You know why I'm doing this? Because my marriage sucks." Maccarone appears to be aware, however, of the camera recording her, as she references those who might be watching.

Once kids board the bus, she continues, yelling to them: "Did I mention bus drivers have to be a little bit crazy? ... I am crazy, I'm totally crazy, I am so fun crazy, because I love life!" She also notes she graduated college "like three different times." At one point in the video, Maccarone starts yelling "no" over and over and the children start screaming. Per a police report, Maccarone's blood alcohol content level was a little over 0.09%; in Washington, one can be charged with DUI for any BAC of 0.08% or more. She's been charged with driving under the influence and reckless endangerment. Longview Public Schools Superintendent Dan Zorn offers his apologies for the incident, which he says was an anomaly, and adds that "as a system, this should not have happened." Measures since put into place to prevent similar incidents include daily driver screenings. (More bus driver stories.)

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