A Gowanda Central School District bus driver has been arrested and charged with three counts of felony DWI, Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard reports.
Sheriff’s deputies say that Marianne Clayton, 63, of Silver Creek, was pulled over on Tuesday on the Seneca Nations of Indians Territory after SNI Marshals observed the bus she was driving swerve into oncoming traffic. There were nine students aboard the bus at the time.
According to authorities, Clayton was charged with three felony counts of aggravated DWI, a misdemeanor count of DWI-drugs and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
She was released to a sober third party, sheriff's deputies say.
The Gowanda Central School District released the following statement regarding the incident: "Gowanda Central School District was notified Tuesday, June 1, 2021, that a contracted bus driver transporting some of our secondary-level students to out-of-district programs was pulled over by local law enforcement for erratic driving. All students on board were safe and provided alternative transportation. The safety and security of our students is our No. 1 priority. We have been in contact with the local authorities and the WNY Bus Company to investigate how this incident took place. Our goal is to learn from this and ensure we do everything in our power as a district to provide a safe learning environment for our students while in our care. The administration is reaching out to families and anyone needing support may contact their child’s school main office at (716) 532-3325, ext. 5003 (middle school) or ext. 6004 (high school). For any questions concerning the incident, which did not involve a district employee or bus, please contact the WNY Bus Company at (716) 473-7077."
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