Worcester County Bus Driver Drank Before Transporting Kids, No Charges Filed

Worcester County, MD - Worcester County officials are speaking out about a school bus driver who consumed alcohol before driving students from school last April and why no criminal charges were filed.

State's Attorney Kris Heiser, Sheriff Matt Crisafulli, Superintendent Annette Wallace, and the Worcester County Board of Education released a joint statement Thursday addressing the incident. They say the goal is to answer questions, clear up confusion, and explain what each agency has done in response.

Here's what happened.

On April 24, 2026, a Worcester County school bus driver and his wife, who worked as a bus aide on his route, both consumed alcohol before reporting for duty. Surveillance footage from Ocean Downs Casino showed the driver drank two alcoholic beverages over roughly 90 minutes, starting around 10:30 a.m.

The driver completed his route from Berlin Intermediate School before anyone flagged the situation. A witness saw the drinking and called the school system's bus driver-trainer, who went to Showell Elementary School to check on the driver. But by then, those Berlin Intermediate students were already home.

After meeting with the driver, the trainer decided he was not under the influence and allowed him to finish the Showell Elementary route. That decision was made after consulting with a school system administrator and the trainer's direct supervisor.

The school system administrator then required the driver to take a breath test at a Department of Transportation contractor. The results came back at .08 and .089, both at or above the legal limit. However, investigators found two major problems with the test.

First, the breathalyzer had been calibrated with equipment that expired back in September 2025.

Second, the testing contractor swabbed the driver's cheek before administering the test, which officials say scientifically invalidates the results and makes them inadmissible in court.

On top of that, in-bus video showed no signs of impairment, and GPS data confirmed the bus stayed within all speed limits and followed traffic laws during both routes.

Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said the delayed report hurt the investigation.
"It is clear that our investigative efforts were hindered by the failure of certain school employees to timely report these allegations to law enforcement, which prevented the collection of evidence," Crisafulli said. "Due to the delay in reporting, detectives were deprived of the opportunity to conduct a standard on-scene investigation, which would have included standardized field sobriety tests, a preliminary breath test and either a breath or blood test for the presence of alcohol."

Crisafulli added that detectives also missed the chance to interview witnesses on the scene or take statements from the driver and his wife. He said the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation still conducted a thorough review of all evidence that was still available.

State's Attorney Heiser personally reviewed the case and decided not to move forward with charges.

"Based on my review of the admissible evidence collected by investigators after the delayed report, it is clear that the State lacks sufficient evidence to prove any traffic or criminal offenses beyond a reasonable doubt," Heiser said.

Heiser also had a message for school employees going forward.

"We are hopeful that this case will serve as a reminder to the Worcester County Public Schools and all school employees to promptly report any potentially criminal behavior to law enforcement so that it can be immediately investigated and successfully prosecuted," she said.

"Any delay in reporting can and does cause complications in recovery of evidence, discrepancies in testing and an inability to follow standard investigative procedures and protocols which, combined, are all necessary to ensuring offenders are held accountable for their actions, especially when those actions have the significant potential to harm children."

The school system had its own statement to make.

Superintendent Annette Wallace said she was not told about the incident until after the driver had already completed both routes. Once she was informed, she directed the matter to be reported to the State's Attorney and launched an internal investigation.

The Board of Education and Wallace strongly condemned the driver's actions and also expressed disappointment in how some staff handled the situation after the initial report.

"Any allegation involving student safety must be treated with the utmost seriousness, urgency, and accountability," the statement read. "Delays or failures in following established reporting protocols undermine families' trust and are unacceptable."

While personnel matters can't be discussed publicly, officials say corrective actions have already been taken. The school system is also putting new measures in place to improve reporting standards and student safety procedures.