| Loudon bus driver charged with DUI taken to hospital
for apparent overdose LOUDON, Tenn. (WVLT) – There was more trouble Wednesday for a Loudon school bus driver and high school cafeteria worker fired Tuesday after she was charged with DUI while driving about 30 kids to school. Vickie Lynn Kwansky, 48, was charged with DUI and child reckless endangerment after she was found by police slumped over the wheel of the bus on Steeke Street. Volunteer TV's Stephen McLamb sat down with her and her former fiancée early Wednesday afternoon and got some answers just two hours before something went wrong. Kwansky said she took one prescription soma, a muscle relaxant, and has for years since having pelvis operation five years ago. But her former fiancée said she got a bottle of 60 soma pills on Monday and by Wednesday they were half gone. Just two hours after Stephen McLamb talked to Kwansky, medical personnel were called to her home on an overdose call.911 reports show this is the fourth overdose call to the home since March. Her former fiancée says each time it was because of an overdose on soma, a muscle relaxant. Although she’s charged with DUI, police say Tuesday's incident did not appear to be alcohol-related, but some type of narcotic. Loudon Police Chief James Webb says, "Our officer did have a sample of blood drawn to be sent off to the TBI for a toxicology report. "School officials say they have a stringent policy for bus drivers. Loudon County School Superintendent Wayne Honeycutt says, "Be fingerprinted. We have to do a background check on them. Our bus drivers are required to have a drug screening. "And Kwansky recently had a drug screen. Honeycutt says, "As far as we know, the last one was September 8 and that turned out that there was no problem whatsoever. "Honeycutt says they follow state policy. Honeycutt says if Kwansky was taking the prescription drug soma, as she claims, "The drug itself is a prescription drug so it would not, in my opinion, would not show up on the testing. "Teresa Benton is rebuilding following a house fire, so her son wasn't on Kwansky's bus. Now, for her, there is something comforting about that house fire. Benton says, "There's a reason the Lord hasn't put us back in that house and I've held on to that. "We've attempted to find out which hospital Kwansky was taken to so we could get a status report on her condition, but that information has not been released. |
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10/2/08