Children Alerted Parents During Terrifying Bus Ride With Drunk Driver: Montco DA

DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP, PA — Numerous children trapped on a Montgomery County school bus with a severely intoxicated driver alerted their parents to the incident through text messages as it was happening, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The details come the day after the Tuesday arrest of Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown, in connection with the Feb. 6 incident.

See previous coverage: School Bus Driver Was DUI, Nearly 4X Legal Limit With 54 Children Aboard: Montco DA

At around 9:22 a.m. that morning, she bought a 750 milliliter bottle of Tito's Vodka, along with a pair of smaller bottles, according to a receipt police said they recovered inside the bus.

A total of 54 elementary school children got on the bus. Surveillance video from inside the bus shows Weber driving while holding "an item wrapped in tissues to her mouth and tilting her head back," the affidavit states.

Shortly after beginning her route, she began swerving the bus erratically, nearly striking several other vehicles and a telephone pole, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said.

The bus video also shows Weber repeatedly crossing the double yellow line and driving directly into oncoming traffic, according to the affidavit.

One of the children texted their mother that the bus driver was falling asleep, police said.

Another child, meanwhile, got off at an early stop just to get off of the bus and to safety.

Numerous others contacted their parents.

"The messages from the children indicated they were scared and the bus driver kept closing her eyes and driving very slowly," the affidavit of probable cause states.

The bus eventually pulled over into a snowbank near Second Avenue and Gilbert Road in Douglass Township.

Police said it was "immediately apparent" that Weber was intoxicated due to glassy eyes, confusion, pinpoint pupils, and erratic behavior, the affidavit of probable cause states.

When asked if she'd taken any alcohol or drugs, Weber told the officer that she takes Prozac, according to documents.

During the sobriety test on the road in front of the bus, Weber failed to maintain her balance, officials said.

Labs would later show that she had a blood alcohol concentration of .331, the DA said, almost four times the legal limit in Pennsylvania. She also had a Delta-9 THC level of 6.6.

The children were picked up from that location by a different bus and delivered safely home.

Weber checked herself into a rehab facility immediately after the incident. Police are currently arranging a time for her to turn herself in. Once in custody, she'll be arraigned on charges of endangering the welfare of children and driving under the influence.