SALADO, Texas — Parents in Salado are seeking answers and accountability after one of the school district’s bus drivers is accused of chasing children down and firing a weapon at them after they allegedly pulled a prank at his home.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, Bell County Sheriff Deputies responded to reports that a man had fired a gun at kids who rang his doorbell and ran away.
The kids ran to a nearby house for help.
The man accused of firing the gun is David Stanford, who works as a bus driver for Salado ISD.
The district says they are already taking action.
”The employee that the allegations are made against is currently on administrative leave, and we’re waiting on the Bell County Sheriff’s Department to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to file charges against that individual,” said Salado ISD superintendent, Micheal Novotny.
After learning that the man works for the school district, people made their voices heard at Monday's school board meeting.
”Those kids were at my house,” said Jennifer Abraham, owner of the house where the children hid, speaking at Tuesday night's school board meeting.
“They were on the floor, on their stomachs, screaming and crying because they thought they would be shot through the window. The guy was shooting at my front door. It’s not okay.”
They also expressed concerns about the district's response to the situation.
”You continually say that it’s not confirmed and that he would have been arrested if it was confirmed,” said Patsy Corn at Monday's school board meeting.
“We know that that’s not the case here. I heard the investigator. For all of us that have the footage. The audio, the actual visual, it is something that happened.”
The district says that determination is up to the investigators.
”It was an allegation that took place outside of school hours, off of school property. It's really the jurisdiction of the Bell County Sherrif’s Office," Novotny said.
"However, our police chief, myself, and the Bell County Constable Deputy, have all been cooperating with them and helping them out with this.”
The district says that everyone is entitled to due process, so Stanford will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Sheriff’s Department investigation.
