CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte school bus driver accused of driving while impaired with more than 20 kids on board is now facing 21 counts of child abuse.
The new charges are in addition to 70-year-old Sylvia Dollard's DWI charge. She was arrested by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police last Thursday after parents and kids say she was driving erratically in their neighborhood. Dollard was suspended with pay by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools pending the outcome of the investigation. She was first hired by the district in 2014.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by WCNC Charlotte reporter Julia Kauffman, Dollard was unable to tell officers how many kids were originally on the bus, how many stops she'd made or where she started the route. During a search of the bus, the warrant alleges that officers found an unlabeled pill bottle that contained several types of unknown pills in Dollard's purse.
Dollard was given a field sobriety test by one of the officers. According to the warrant, Dollard "performed poorly," resulting in her arrest. The officer added that Dollard told him she is not under the care of a doctor and didn't take any prescriptions.
Multiple witnesses told WCNC Charlotte that a group of parents stopped Dollard after she missed several bus stops in the neighborhood.
"She kept hitting the brakes, running past stop signs, circled several times before," Oakdale Elementary School parent Riley Lea said.
Cell phone video showed an SUV stopped in front of the bus and children on the street.
"Parents were real pissed," a witness named Quan said. "Cussing, beating on the window, they busted the door window on the side trying to get on."
Lea said she first learned about the situation when her 6- and 7-year-old sons got home.
"My kids came screaming at the top of their lungs, crying, one was bleeding from the nose and the mouth," she said.
Lea explained she then ran toward the commotion and confronted Dollard when she saw the bus parked in the road. She later took her kids to the hospital and they were sent back to school on Friday after being checked by doctors.
Superintendent Crystal Hill said Oakdale Elementary School's principal was called to the site and parents were contacted immediately. Students were either taken home by their parents or taken by another bus.
Warning signs prior to the arrest
Before Dollard's arrest on Thursday, parents at a different CMS elementary school said they complained about her driving behavior several times to the district.
Several Huntersville parents told WCNC Charlotte that their children rode Dollard's bus in the first week of school at Barnette Elementary.
Neighbors Jen Allan and Ani Mercincavage said they immediately had issues during the first three days of school. "My friend and I, and some neighbors, got a feeling something was off on Monday because she seemed a little confused," Mercincavage said about Dollard.
On Wednesday, parents said they were tracking Dollard through the bus app as they waited for their children to come home from school, and she kept missing the turn to their neighborhood.
"They had been on the bus for one hour kind of like going around, seeing our neighborhood exit, not going there, very confused," Mercincavage explained. When the bus finally got to the neighborhood, Allan said, "the kids were running off the bus. Kids were crying."
After several complaints to the school and district, parents were notified their route was getting a new driver and bus.
"We're thinking they're gonna deal with it, they're gonna have some sort of procedure or investigate what's going on," Allan said.
However, the mothers saw on WCNC Charlotte's newscast the next day that Dollard had been arrested after driving Oakdale Elementary School students.
" I was sick to my stomach, I was so upset," Mercincavage said. "I couldn't believe that CMS would just be that negligent," Allan added.
Allan and Mercincavage said they are frustrated Dollard was transferred to Oakdale Elementary School when parents had already warned about unsafe driving conditions. They're now pushing for CMS to change how it handles complaints about transportation.
WCNC Charlotte asked CMS why Dollard was allowed to transfer schools and if officials investigated the Barnette Elementary parents' complaints, but has not heard back by the time of this publication.
Note: WCNC instituted a policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
WCNC Charlotte is choosing to show the mugshot of the suspect in this case due to her job.