DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A former Douglas County school bus driver who slammed on the brakes to "teach the kids a lesson" pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of reckless endangerment.
9NEWS partner KRDO obtained video from inside the bus in the March 1 incident that shows at least 30 Castle Rock Elementary School students hitting the seats in front of them from the brake check. The students were riding the bus home from school.
According to a report obtained by KRDO, the bus driver, 61-year-old Brian Fitzgerald, told Douglas County School District officials he was sorry for his actions. He claimed he was trying to "educate" and "control the students," who ranged from kindergarten to sixth grade.
Before the Douglas County School District fired Fitzgerald, he wrote a letter saying he was "sincerely sorry for his actions," KRDO reported.
On Monday, Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, a Class 2 misdemeanor, and received a deferred sentence, according to court records. If he meets certain conditions over the next year and completes 48 hours of community service, the case against him will be dismissed.
Fitzgerald had faced 30 misdemeanor counts of child abuse, but those counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.
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