Bus Driver Charged for Driving Intoxicated with 35 Children And Teens Onboard

CARLTON, Minn. — A 49-year-old Cannon Falls man has been charged for driving a charter bus while intoxicated with 35 students aboard.

On Sunday, troopers from the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a complaint that a charter bus was swerving shoulder-to-shoulder on interstate 35 in Carlton County.

Troopers located the bus and watched it weave in-and-out, continuously into the other lane.

The bus was pulled-over and the driver was identified as 49-year-old Patrick Bullard of Cannon Falls.

He was driving 35 children and 2 chaperones to a YMCA camp in Northern Minnesota.

Troopers say Bullard showed immediate signs of intoxication; glossed eyes, slurred speech, and a scent of alcohol.

This prompted the troopers to request Bullard perform field sobriety tests — he complied, but failed all six tests.

Troopers then gave Bullard a roadside breath test.

He blew a .257 alcohol concentration.

Bullard was taken to the Carlton County Law Enforcement Center and was requested to submit another breath test, but he denied.

Patrick Bullard is charged with two gross misdemeanors for driving while intoxicated and refusing to provide a second breathalyzer test.

He is also charged with two counts of open container laws, both misdemeanors.

If convicted on all four charges, he could face up to two and a half years in prison.