School Bus Driver Possessed Pot On Bus With Youths: Naugatuck PD

NAUGATUCK, CT — A bizarre incident in Naugatuck led to the arrest of a school bus driver, who is accused of possessing marijuana on a school bus along with two youths, who were not in transport, police said Friday. Police say they could smell a strong odor of marijuana on the bus.

The driver is also charged with sale of a controlled substance because she is accused of providing marijuana to the juveniles, police said. Police also released a 911 call of the incident, which can be heard below.

The bus driver told police that she didn't smoke the marijuana and insisted it was the two youths who did, police said.

This all happened around 6 p.m. Thursday. It began when a bystander saw two youths fighting on the bus, which was parked at a local park, and when the bystander approached the school bus it took off at a high rate of speed, including refusing to stop for stop signs, police said.

The bystander followed the school bus and called police. Police say they responded to a report of a school bus driving recklessly by running stop signs and speeding. The caller advised that they saw the bus parked at Breen field in Naugatuck and witnessed what looked like two juveniles fighting on the bus, police said.

The caller stated that as they approached the bus it sped away, police said. The caller followed the bus and phoned police, and officers located the bus a short time later and stopped it on Spring Street, police said.

Officers interviewed the bus driver, Grace McPhail, 48, of Aetna Street, and two juveniles seated in the vehicle, police said. McPhail was identified as the driver and said she was an employee of First Student Bus Services of Middlebury.

The accused told police she was off-duty but driving the bus with permission of her employer, police said. The accused told officers she was scared because a car was following her and admitted to driving fast and running stop signs, police said.

During the investigation officers detected a "strong odor of marijuana within the bus and discovered that the driver was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia," police said.

When asked about the odor inside the vehicle the bus driver said the two juveniles had been smoking marijuana but she insisted that she didn't, police said.

Investigating officers called First Student Bus Services officials, who confirmed the employment of McPhail and confirmed she is a driver that has permission to drive the bus to and from work only but not for personal use, police said.

The two juveniles involved were teenagers under the age of 18. Both were determined to not be students in transport but rather acquaintances of the accused, one of which is related to the accused, police said.

It was further determined through the investigation that McPhail was at Breen Field in Naugatuck with the bus and juveniles during a time that the park is closed, police said.

Based on information obtained during the investigation the accused was arrested and held in lieu of a $5,000 bond, police said.

She is charged with sale of a controlled substance, risk of injury to child, reckless driving, third-degree criminal trespass, use of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.

During her court appearance Friday, McPhail's bond was raised to $25,000, Fox 61 reports. McPhail has not prior arrests.

(Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the bus driver sold marijuana to the students from the school bus. Police say the accused is charged with "sale of a controlled substance" because she provided it to the youths. This story has been updated).

Photos via Naugatuck Police Department