HICKORY, N.C. — A student on the Catawba County school bus driven by an alleged drunk driver told a social worker about the condition of the driver, our partners at the Hickory Daily Record report.
Nelson Gonzalez, 54, was driving a bus from Sherills Ford Elementary when he was pulled over and blew a breath test showing a blood alcohol level of .23, nearly three times the legal limit, according to N.C. State Highway Patrol.
According to Catawba County Manager Mary Furtado and Catawba County Department of Social Services Director Karen Harrington, one of the students who got off the bus told a social worker,
Harrington said the social worker heard kids yelling “Our driver is drunk.”
“911 is called and there you go,” Furtado said.
All the kids had gotten off the bus before Gonzalez was pulled over, the school district said.
Gonzalez faces charges of driving while impaired, driving a commercial vehicle while impaired and careless and reckless driving. He also faces 33 charges of misdemeanor child abuse.
He had been hired on Nov. 13 as a custodian and bus driver for Sherrills Ford Elementary School., the district said.
On Dec. 13, the district confirmed to Channel 9 that Gonzalez was fired.
(WATCH: School bus driver cited after causing multi-car crash, troopers say)
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