Police in Georgia responded to many 911 calls of an inebriated school bus driver driving with a busload of children. The officers responded to the DUI quickly, just to find that the school bus driver was a “heavily impaired” off-duty police officer.

GSP arrested an off-duty McRae, Georgia, police officer for a DUI and driving in an ‘unsafe manner while transporting children’

The Georgia State Police (GSP) responded to multiple 911 calls of a school bus driving erratically. When the police officers caught up with the school bus, they found off-duty McRae-Helena police officer Theodore Ruggenberg behind the wheel and children on-board. Troublingly, the GSP officers said Ruggenberg was “heavily impaired” at the time.

Police officers arrested Ruggenberg for a DUI on the spot. However, it’s not clear what substances Ruggenberg was on at the time. After all, a “driving under the influence” charge doesn’t just include a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of over 0.08% for adult drivers. Instead, a DUI refers to a driver under the influence of any illicit, impairing substance.

GSP officers transported the off-duty police officer to the Telfair County jail. Authorities charged Ruggenberg for his crimes, including driving under the influence, as well as driving the bus “in an unsafe manner while transporting children.” Fortunately, none of the children sustained any injuries during Ruggenberg’s dangerous driving. 

Ruggenberg worked as both a police officer and a school bus driver. He has served as a police officer since 1991. Understandably, the city of McRae-Helena placed Ruggenberg on suspension and initiated an investigation following the DUI arrest.

The McRae-Helena chief of police, Ken Wilcox, released a statement to reassure community members that their safety is a top priority, per WMAZ 13. “It’s very important to me that we continue to keep the community safe along with our kids who ride the buses,” Chief Wilcox said in the statement.