CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A suspect who allegedly crashed into a Clarksville-Montgomery County School System school bus on Dover Rd. last month admitted he was drinking prior to the crash, according to an affidavit.
The crash occurred Friday, September 21 around 4 p.m. on the 2100 block of Dover Road (Hwy 79). According to an arrest warrant, witnesses told Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) that the Chrysler 300, driven by 37-year-old Dustin Douglas of Clarksville, was passing vehicles in the left lane while speeding at approximately 90-100 miles per hour.
Witnesses said they saw Douglas crash into the back of a Yukon and then slide into the back of the school bus.
The driver of the Yukon told police he was stopped in the left lane because the bus was dropping off students. His children (ages 10 and 13) were in the vehicle at the time of the crash and were transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries.
One of the students on the school bus sustained minor injuries.
The THP trooper investigating the crash made contact with the suspect, Dustin Douglas, at Tennova Medical Center and said he could smell alcohol coming from his person while talking to him. The warrant says Douglas admitted to drinking alcohol prior to driving.
The trooper said he showed signs of impairment and later discovered that Douglas was driving on a suspended license.
He was arrested and charged with DUI, three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment. His bond was set at $40,000.
Douglas has two previous DUI convictions from 2006 and 2007.
Photos: Lee Erwin/ClarksvilleNow.com
