Report: School Bus Driver in Clayton, NJ, Charged For Driving Kids While Intoxicated

A South Jersey school bus carrying nearly two dozen students allegedly had an intoxicated driver behind the wheel on Friday morning.

Police in Clayton, Gloucester County, reportedly received a tip just after 9:00 that bus driver Suzanne Stoms may have been driving under the influence with 23 Herma Simmons Elementary School kids on board.

Clayton Police caught up with the vehicle at the intersection of Franklin Street and Poe Avenue where they pulled over the Williamstown woman.

Officers gave the 48-year-old Stoms a field sobriety test which she reportedly failed.

A substitute school bus driver was summoned to complete the ride to the elementary school. No children were injured.

After being taken into custody and transported to the Clayton Police Station, Stoms reportedly agreed to have her blood alcohol content tested. She blew a .04, according to Patch.com, which is over the New Jersey state limit.

Suzanne Stoms now faces multiple charges. Among them endangering the welfare of a child, DUI (with minor passengers), and reckless driving. She will appear in court at a later date to answer for her actions.

Clayton Public School District Superintendent Nikolaos C. Koutsogiannis issued a statement regarding the incident that reads, in part,

This is behavior that will not be tolerated, and we will be terminating the employee effective immediately. The safety of students and staff is always a top priority for our school district.

Koutsogiannis also apologized to parents for the behavior of the bus driver and thanked Clayton Police for quickly diffusing the situation.