Man Charged After Boarding School Bus, Threatening Children He Thought Were Bullies: Cops

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Authorities charged a Stafford man with disorderly conduct after an incident on a school bus on Friday. The sheriff's office said Cortez Smith boarded a school bus and threatened elementary schoolers who were on board.

The incident occurred around on Friday afternoon in the Shadow Woods neighborhood. In an update posted to Facebook, the sheriff's office said Smith boarded the bus to confront students he thought were bullying.

"Smith proceeded to curse and shout threats toward the students and the student's family for nearly a minute before storming off the bus," the sheriff's office said.

Authorities said about 23 students were on the bus at the time.

Deputies served Smith with a warrant for disorderly conduct. Smith is also trespassed from Stafford County Public Schools, police said.

The sheriff's office said their investigation is still ongoing.

On Facebook, several parents wrote comments in defense of Smith.

"This is what happens when they bully our kids," Carla Gordon wrote on Facebook. "Good job."

Other parents shared similar concerns on social media, even if they disagreed with Smith's actions.

"I’m not saying what he did was morally right. But babies are killing themselves all the time because of bullies," Stanphney Marshall wrote in a comment on the sheriff's office's post. "And all you ever hear is raise your child to have tougher skin. No, raise your child to be kind."

Stafford County Public Schools have several anti-bullying policies in place. Staff members receive training on how to spot and prevent bullying. The school system also provides ongoing instruction to students to discourage bullying.

More information about how to spot, stop, and prevent bullying is available through the federal government's StopBullying website.