UPDATE–NEWS RELEASE: Thursday morning at approximately 7:30 two police officers responded to a call of a 10-year old boy, believed to be autistic, assaulting a school bus monitor at the intersection of Garst Mill and Pinevale Roads (the bus had pulled into the Villages at Garst Creek). When the boy entered the bus he was asked to wear a mask and refused. The bus driver gave him one to put on and he removed it. The bus driver asked him to sit in the back of the bus but he became aggressive and assaulted the school bus monitor. There were no injuries. The boy’s guardian was notified as well as the school principal. One of the responding officers was able to talk with the boy, help him understand what happened and calm him down. It was agreed between the guardian, principal and officer that the boy could come to school. The officer placed the boy in the front seat of the patrol car, buckled him in, drove him to school, and walked him inside to the principal. No charges will be placed.
At approximately 8:00, a two vehicle crash occurred at the same intersection while the bus was still parked off the road. A vehicle traveling eastbound on Garst Mill attempted to make a left turn onto Pinevale and ran into a vehicle traveling westbound on Garst Mill. Three officers responded to handle the crash and traffic flow. Roanoke County Fire & Rescue was called to check out two children in one of the vehicles. No occupants were transported to the hospital. One vehicle was towed and a summons was issued to the driver failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
PREVIOUS: Roanoke County police responded this morning to a juvenile call regarding a student refusing to wear a mask on a school bus traveling on Garst Mill Road. Emergency dispatchers say the autistic student was reportedly lashing out at the school bus monitor. No other details are yet available.
A school system spokesperson says in a statement, “This is a police matter so we would not be in a position to offer further [comments at] this time.” We are seeking further information from Roanoke County Police.
Check back for updates.
