FISHERS, Ind. (WRTV) — A Hamilton Southeastern Schools bus driver will appear in court in May after police say she was caught drinking while driving an occupied school bus in early April.
Public court records show 61-year-old Terri Shore has been charged with criminal recklessness and consuming or possessing a controlled substance as a school bus driver.
Hamilton Southeastern officials confirmed Shore was fired shortly after the incident.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a student initially reported Shore on April 1 after seeing what they thought was a vodka bottle in a plastic bag hanging from Shore’s driver’s seat.
The student took a picture of the bottle and sent it to the dean of Hamilton Southeastern High School, who then forwarded the information to the HSE Schools transportation director.
The director, along with another transportation employee, contacted Shore and made her stop her bus.
They met with Shore at Brooks School Elementary, about 5 minutes east of the high school.
After students on Shore’s bus moved to another bus, the transportation employees confronted Shore, who admitted to drinking. The transportation director found the vodka bottle and an orange juice bottle filled with vodka and threw them away.
A Fishers Police Department officer met with the transportation director on April 2 for an official statement and to review security camera footage.
Police say Shore was spotted on camera just before 2 p.m. drinking straight from the vodka bottle before filling up the orange juice container.
A few minutes later, she was seen brushing her teeth, “which appeared to be an attempt to conceal the odor of alcohol.” Shore then continued her route, picking up elementary students for transportation.
Around 2:40 p.m., Shore arrived at HSE High School and was caught pouring the orange juice bottle out the driver’s side window before filling it with more vodka. Court documents say she put the orange juice container on her dashboard and kept drinking from it while driving the bus.
A state police test of the bottle later determined Shore had been drinking 80 proof Coulsons vodka.
Prosecutors filed charges against Shore on Wednesday, who will appear in court for an initial hearing on May 14.
