LOVELL — A 74-year-old bus driver from Stoneham was charged with assault and driving to endanger Thursday after after an altercation with a parent on Main Street the day before.
Police said Shirley Danforth, a driver for Maine School Administrative District 72, is scheduled to appear in Bridgton District Court to answer the charges in December.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when Danforth was confronted by the parent of a 13-year-old who had been riding on Danforth’s bus.
“The confrontation was a result of the bus driver confronting students on the bus over cellphone usage while being transported on the bus. The student sent messages to her mother who in turn confronted the driver at the discharge stop,” according a Oxford County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The mother and driver exchanged words, Chief Deputy James Urquhart said, and as the driver began to pull the bus way, the open doors struck the mother, who had been standing between them.
No serious injuries were reported, but deputies began investigating the incident and interviewed witnesses and school officials.
The status of Danforth’s job with the school district was not clear Thursday.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less