Reckless Conduct: 75-Year-Old Minooka School Bus Driver Arrested

MINOOKA, IL — A Grundy County news radio station reported that the Minooka Police Department arrested 75-year-old Minooka District 201 public school bus driver Michael Zmuda on charges of reckless conduct causing bodily harm.

Authorities told the radio station in Morris that the bus driver got angry at several students from Minooka's intermediate and junior high schools, and he slammed on the brakes in the parking lot. A few Minooka students went to the hospital to get checked out for injuries afterward.

WCSJ reported that school administrators with Minooka's District 201 issued the following statement to parents:

Today, as buses were dismissing the campus for the day, there was an incident on Bus 90 that required the attention of the Administration from both schools (MIS and MJHS), school nurses and our local authorities who responded immediately when called. Student safety was our first and foremost concern and we collaboratively worked to assess any possible student injuries while also working to expedite student transport home with the impending storm and weather watches in the area.

During the initial investigation, it was discovered that the driver allegedly “slammed on the brakes” after beginning to slowly drive away from Minooka Junior High School, which resulted in students being jolted forward causing discomfort and there were minor injuries reported by a few students.

Please know that we fully appreciate and take seriously the responsibility of caring for your children all day, every day when you send them to MIS and MJHS. As this incident is still being examined, we will continue to work with Minooka Law Enforcement to ensure a complete and thorough investigation is conducted. As always, we appreciate and value the consistent cooperation and support provided to us by our local emergency personnel.