Sheriff's Office • 100 North Fifth Avenue West • Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2340 • www.stlouiscountymn.gov
Gordon Ramsay
Sheriff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 09/04/24
Media Contact: Sgt. Eric Sathers
(218) 336-4311
School bus driver arrested for DWI
On September 4th, 2024, just after midnight, the Sheriff's Office was contacted by a concerned citizen who wanted to report a St. Louis County School District bus driver consuming alcohol while off duty. There were concerns he was highly intoxicated and would not be sober by morning when he would likely begin his route. Deputies were able to make contact with the driver at his home just after 0600 hours and he said he was not working today. The school district was notified of this information and shortly after 0700 hours, Deputies received word from the district that the driver was in fact working and had started his route. Patrol deputies received his route information and were able to locate the bus on Independence Rd, just North of Seville Rd. The bus was pulled over without incident and the driver was ultimately arrested for DWI.
At the time of the stop, the bus contained 17 children. All were reported to be uninjured and doing well. The school district sent out staff to take custody of the bus and children, who were students at Southridge School in Alborn. They also notified parents of the incident.
The driver, identified as ANTHONY ISRAELSON, DOB 04/25/1980, was processed for DWI. He was ultimately booked at the St. Louis County jail on pending charges of 2nd degree DWI under statutes 169A.31 and 169A.25. Both offenses are gross misdemeanors. While official blood results will not be available for quite some time, his preliminary breath test (PBT) results indicated his BAC to be .16. According to MN statute 169A.31, there is zero tolerance for a person to be under the influence of any amount of alcohol while operating a school bus. An official charging decision will be handled by the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
| 
