ALABAMA MAN FACES CHARGES INVOLVING SCHOOL BUS IN WALTON COUNTY, OUT-OF-STATE WARRANT
WALTON COUNTY, FLA— An Alabama man is facing charges following an incident with a school bus on Tuesday.
On the morning of April 29th, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office was notified about an accusation that a 9-year-old student was spit on by a bus driver a day earlier.
A School Resource Deputy spoke with the child regarding the incident, and the student stated he and others were horsing around on the back of the bus. He stated that the bus driver had him come to the middle of the bus. He stated that was when he spit on him. He further indicated he thought it was accidental.
A deputy contacted the bus driver regarding the incident, who told deputies he had the student come to the center of the seating area away from the shoe throwing and horse playing. He stated that he had to tell him sternly that he needed to stop throwing things across the bus.
The deputy reviewed the bus video as well as school staff. There was never any intentional spitting, and the student is not seen wiping any spit from his facial area at any time. The student is seen on camera continuing to trip other students after being instructed to sit still in his seat. The review of the video revealed the accusation to be unsubstantiated.
A School Resource Deputy spoke with the student’s mother to update her on the findings.
On Tuesday afternoon, Walton County School District reported a man followed a school bus on N. 1st Street in DeFuniak Springs. The bus driver stated that when he stopped to let a student off, the suspect, later identified as Brent Gill, 40, of Evergreen, Alabama, stepped on the bus and confronted the driver over the incident from the previous day.
The bus driver contacted his supervisors following the incident, who in turn contacted the Office of the City Marshal, DeFuniak Springs Police. Gill also contacted DFSPD and admitted to the officer that he stepped on the bus to identify the driver.
A records check revealed Gill was wanted out of Mississippi for felon in possession of a firearm. The officer convinced Gill to come to the DeFuniak Springs Police Department to make a statement. The suspect did not want to enter the building but voluntarily gave a verbal statement admitting to entering the school bus.
Once the warrant out of Mississippi was confirmed, Gill was arrested and transported to the Walton County Jail by the DeFuniak Springs Police Department.
Deputies reviewed the bus video footage and obtained a statement from the bus driver. Walton County Sheriff’s Office charged Gill with trespassing on school property. He is currently awaiting first appearance.