Bus driver pulled over during field trip, no crime found

A school bus driver taking students on a field trip last week was pulled over on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, but he had not been drinking, a Cape Girardeau school administrator said.

The driver complied with field sobriety tests and "came up clean," said Neil Glass, director of administrative services for the Cape Girardeau School District.

"The guy had just lost his grandmother," he said. "It was sleep deprivation. Nothing shady; just an unfortunate incident."

To ensure students' safety, the bus company, First Student, sent a replacement driver to finish the trip and placed the first driver on temporary leave, Glass said.

"They put him on leave until his mental state got a little bit better," he said.