Bus driver accused of falling asleep denied bond reduction

A school bus driver in Shelton went before a judge Wednesday afternoon for allegedly falling asleep while driving his vehicle with children on board. Paul Pixley was arraigned on several charges including

News 12 Staff

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Dec 29, 2016, 3:08 AM

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Updated 2,767 days ago

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A school bus driver in Shelton went before a judge Wednesday afternoon for allegedly falling asleep while driving his vehicle with children on board.

Paul Pixley was arraigned on several charges including 30 counts of Risk of Injury to a minor.

The judge denied his request for reduced bond, saying the allegations are very serious and that he put students' lives in danger.

Police say Pixley fell asleep multiple times while driving a bus full of kids back on Dec. 16.

They also say many of those kids were so concerned for their safety that they called their parents, who then contacted police.

Police say there were up to 30 kids on the bus at one point, but many got off at earlier stops because they were worried.

A warrant says one parent even followed the bus and reported it was swerving all over the road.The warrant also says Pixley fell asleep another time earlier this month, which caused him to hit a car.

When officers first spoke to Pixley, he denied falling asleep, couldn't remember how to shut off the bus alarm, and forgot where he'd put his keys, police say.

He attributed being tired to taking NyQuil instead of DayQuil. He later admitted to taking methadone and previously having a drug problem.

Police say the bus company ordered Pixley to take drug and alcohol tests the afternoon of the complaints, but he never did so.

The Shelton School District posted a message on its website letting parents know they are working with police and that Pixley will never drive for the district again.

The Shelton Board of Education has since released a statement saying the school system is working with Landmark Transportation to ensure stricter driver guidelines.

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