Juvenile Arrested after Shooting a School Bus with an Air Rifle

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 at 1513 hours the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Rodenberg Avenue and N. Elm Avenue in reference to an Evansville Vanderburgh County School Corporation school bus having been vandalized.

The bus driver reported that he was on his normal route traveling east onto Rodenberg Avenue when a student passenger advised him one of the bus windows had been shattered. The driver stopped the bus to investigate and observed that one of the windows on the side of the bus appeared to have been shattered by a “BB” pellet. One of the passengers reported that his arm had been grazed by the projectile, but was not visibly injured.

Witness statements led deputies to a 15-year-old male who had been seen pointing an air rifle at the school bus just prior to the window being shattered. The juvenile was taken into custody and later lodged at the Youth Care Center.

Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “The behavior of this teenager was completely reckless and could have resulted in serious injury. The Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate actions that place students at risk.”

There were six student passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. In accordance with state confidentiality laws, the name of the arrested juvenile will not be publicly disclosed.

Arrested:
Juvenile male, 15, of Evansville. Criminal Recklessness as a Class B Misdemeanor, Criminal Recklessness as a Level 6 Felony

Pictured above: School bus window shattered by “BB” pellet.