Parent arrested on warrants after alleged incident on MP school bus
A parent of students at Mountain Pine School was arrested on misdemeanor warrants Monday morning stemming from an alleged incident on May 4 where the man boarded the bus and confronted the driver “using obscenities.”
Anthony Maurice Halley, 39, who lists a Blakehill Loop address, turned himself in shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday on misdemeanor charges of harassment, punishable by up to one year in jail, unauthorized entry of a school bus, punishable by up to 90 days, and disorderly conduct, punishable by up to 30 days.
Halley, who lists no prior criminal history, was released less than 30 minutes later on a $2,000 bond and is set to appear on July 10 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on May 4, around 5:45 p.m., Chad Durham, chief of the Mountain Pine School District Police Department, was notified via radio by Jeremy Hildreth, a bus driver with the district, that a man had just boarded his bus and was shouting.
Durham asked Hildreth his location and he told him he was headed back to the school, but that the incident had occurred at Mountain Pine Road and H.L. Circle. Since the bus was underway to the school and there was “no further immediate threat of danger” Durham proceeded to the school and made contact with Hildreth there.
Hildreth reportedly stated the man, identified as Halley, was the father of two students who ride his bus and that the two students were involved in a physical altercation with some other students on the bus earlier that day.
Hildreth stated he had already dropped off all the parties involved in the altercation and proceeded on his route. While at the intersection of Mountain Pine Road and H.L. Circle, he was starting to turn left when a light-colored SUV pulled in front of the bus causing him to “slam on his brakes.”
He noted the bus was blocking one lane of the road and at that point, Halley exited the SUV with three juveniles and approached the door of the bus. Hildreth said Halley “began shouting and using obscenities at him” while boarding the bus. Hildreth said he told Halley he could not be on the bus, but Halley allegedly “continued shouting” and made threats to return to the bus the next day.
Halley then reportedly exited the bus and left the scene with the juveniles. Hildreth noted there were seven other children on the bus at the time of the encounter who witnessed the incident. Hildreth provided a written statement of the incident and Durham obtained the bus camera footage of the incident from the district’s director of transportation.
On May 5, Durham said he was able to view the footage and reportedly noted Halley “intentionally blocked the bus from being able to go around or move.” As Halley approached the bus door, he “began to shout profanity and started walking up on the bus.” Hildreth could be seen putting his hand out and telling Halley he “couldn’t be on the bus.”
Halley’s response was allegedly, “I don’t give a (expletive).” Halley also allegedly stated he would be back on the bus in the morning and that he was going to “go the (expletive) off.”
According to the affidavit, Durham requested Halley “have no contact with any campus of the Mountain Pine School District, its buses, or vehicles.” He indicated he was also going to request an arrest warrant for Halley for unauthorized entry of a school bus, disorderly conduct and harassment which were filed through the Garland County Sheriff’s Office.