Mason City Schools bus driver, James Vance was arrested on Monday, August 26 for drinking almost double the legal alcohol limit while at work.

On the last day of the 2023-24 school year, a coworker of Vance reported that he smelled of alcohol, so the district swiftly began investigating. They performed two breathalyzer tests that same day, one at 11:24 a.m. and the other at 11:44 a.m. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, “The Tri-Health Breathalyzer report indicated his blood alcohol level was 0.149 and 0.15” (Couch, August 29) The legal limit for driving is 0.08.

At a pre-disciplinary hearing on June 3, James Vance said that he had drank 4 beers the night before. He believed the alcohol smell was not from the alcohol but from his stage 4 liver disease. This could be true as an article by Science Direct identified that “…a sweet musty breath that smells like rum, can be observed in patients with liver failure…” (Keith J. Foster PharmD, BCPS, Charles J. Turck PharmD, BCPS, 2010). It is possible this is what his coworker had smelled, but, due to the breathalyzer test results, he was still found guilty.

Unfortunately, the driver had transported 31 students before being removed from the bus. The students’ parents have been notified via email and phone.

As of Tuesday, August 27, he no longer works for Mason City Schools and the district Superintendent was quoted by WLWT5 stating that, “We are deeply disturbed by the actions of this former driver, which are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mason City Schools” (Dietz, August 28).