Camdenton School Bus Driver Charged With 20 Felonies For Allegedly Driving Drunk With Kids Aboard

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — A school bus driver who was arrested for allegedly driving drunk with children on board has been charged with 20 counts of 1st Degree Endangering The Welfare Of A Child, a Class D Felony. The driver has also been denied bond, and prosecutors anticipate more charges to be added.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is still investigating the case against Brett Emehiser, 44, who was arrested on Sept. 13 for allegedly driving a Camdenton bus with 20 children on board, each of whom were under the age of 17. On Monday, Sept. 16, a warrant was served against Emehiser who was given no bond by Judge Michael Gilley.

According to the probable cause statement, a trooper arrived on scene and found juveniles and adults surrounding the school bus. Students had reportedly contacted others about the driver who nearly struck other cars and was running off the roadway.

The trooper said in the statement that he "observed slurred speech as he spoke. I asked Emehiser to exit the bus and talk with me. Emehiser nearly fell off the bus utilizing multiple points of contact to stabilize himself. Emehiser had a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from his breath and person as he spoke."

After three sobriety tests including ones with the alphabet and counting backwards, the trooper believed Emehiser was impaired and placed him under arrest around 4:45 p.m.

Utilizing a chemical test of breath in the MSHP vehicle, the trooper recorded that Emehiser's blood alcohol content resulted in a .180, according to the statement.

The Camden County Prosecutor, Richelle Grosvenor, expects more charges against Emehiser, and said "crimes against children are a top priority for my office," according to a press release.

The case is ongoing and no hearings have been scheduled yet.