Kids removed from school bus as driver arrested for DUI

Hahira Middle School students evacuated their bus Tuesday after their school bus driver was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Amanda Mullinax, 41, was charged with DUI and endangering the life of a child after her arrest at school dismissal, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said Wednesday.

“In 17 years, I’ve never had a bus driver drunk,” Paulk said in a phone interview with The Telegraph.

Paulk said school resource officer Tim Yorkey noticed a disturbance on the bus as the children were preparing to leave school.

A student alleged Mullinax and been drinking and Yorkey reportedly smelled alcohol on Mullinax.

He removed nearly four dozen students from the bus as he contacted the school administration and a Lowndes County patrol deputy for backup.

“A deputy asked her from 1 to 10 to rate her condition and she said ‘I’m a five,’” Paulk said.

The sheriff said Mullinax registered more than twice the legal limit for alcohol at the time of her arrest.

The night before, deputies were called to a domestic dispute at her home and found she had been drinking heavily that night, Paulk said.

Mullinax could face multiple counts of child endangerment since the bus was fully loaded.

“There were 44 children at our best count,” Paulk said.

She remained in the Lowndes County jail Wednesday.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Kids removed from school bus as driver arrested for DUI."