A TTUSD Staff Bus Driver was pulled over and arrested for DUI charges on Saturday May 10th while transporting the Truckee High Softball team from Fallon back to Truckee. According to Nevada County Sheriff’s records the driver, Justin Loughner was booked into custody the same evening and released the next day.
According to the Nevada County Sheriff’s records, Loughner was charged with two misdemeanors and one felony. Both misdemeanors were categorized as a DUI, one of them was for a commercial vehicle and it is considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol if a driver’s BAC is 0.04 percent or higher. The federal limit for non-commercial drivers is 0.08 percent, according to the California DMV. The felony charge was for child cruelty with the possibility of injury or death.
The team had traveled around an hour and a half one way to participate in the games in Fallon, NV, against Eureka High School. According to TTUSD Officials, the teams played against each other in Fallon because it was neutral ground, and a halfway point for both. The girls beat their opponents and won both games. According to a varsity player who was on the bus, Loughner was pulled over just before coming into Truckee as the bus was travelling west on I-80.
Amber Burke, Coordinator of District Communications & Parent Engagement at TTUSD, wrote in an email regarding the incident that was sent to the families of the students involved stating, “We commend the coaching staff on the bus for their swift action in contacting both the Nevada and California Highway Patrol upon suspecting an issue.”
TTUSD’s Assistant Superintendent, Chief Business Officer, transportation fleet supervisor, and another licensed bus driver were all dispatched to the location to transport all of the students back to THS, according to Burke.
Burke concluded the email by saying, “We want to reassure our community that this appears to be an isolated incident and is not representative of the care and commitment to safety our transportation department and drivers demonstrate every day. The safety of our students is always our paramount concern, and we sincerely hope this deeply concerning incident does not overshadow the hard work and dedication our bus drivers consistently demonstrate in keeping TTUSD students safe.”
According to Burke, support services will be available to students which started Monday May 12th “Please know that [student] safety and emotional well-being are our top priority.”
