Background: The Lancaster County Department of Corrections in Lincoln, Nebraska (Google Maps). Inset: Betty Johnson (Lancaster County Sheriff”s Office).
A Nebraska woman facing charges for operating a school bus with a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit has reached a plea agreement.
Betty Johnson, 68, has entered a no-contest plea to charges of 0.15+ DUI, child abuse, and first-offense reckless driving, all classified as misdemeanors, according to a report from central Nebraska CBS affiliate KOLN. In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss two charges of transporting a child while intoxicated.
Johnson was employed as a bus driver for the Norris School District in Lancaster County, Nebraska. On May 7, 2025, she completed her morning route with 40 children on board. She then had a break before her next scheduled route at noon.
She went on to drive the noon route and was also scheduled to handle an after-school route. However, around 3:30 p.m. that same day, concerns from school staff led them to contact the sheriff’s office. A school resource officer responded and, upon interacting with Johnson and the staff, noted she was “noticeably extremely highly intoxicated,” according to a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office at a press briefing the following day.
Authorities administered a breathalyzer test, which Johnson failed. Reports indicate her blood alcohol content was at 0.22, almost triple the legal limit of 0.08. She was subsequently arrested and detained at the local jail.
The spokesperson revealed, “Betty admitted to consuming alcohol before her noon bus route,” though it remains unclear whether she had been drinking before her morning duties. The spokesperson added, “In my 32 years on the job, I’ve never encountered a case of a school bus driver being intoxicated, particularly to this extent.”
Johnson also admitted to drinking after her noon bus route, which contained preschoolers, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
“We are very lucky that she got caught and was not allowed to do that after-school one,” Chief Deputy Ben Houchin with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said, per KOLN.
The school district fired Johnson after her arrest, with officials adding that she “will not drive for our school district ever again.”
“We want to emphasize that student safety is our number one priority and we thank the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office for their continued partnership with us to keep our students safe,” the school district continued.
