Monday, September 22, 2025–11:20 a.m.
-WBHF Radio-
Deputies arrested a substitute school bus driver last Friday afternoon after she showed signs of intoxication while operating Bartow County School Bus 116 with students on board.
A deputy on patrol received a call at 3:49 p.m. reporting that the bus had failed to maintain its lane and the driver appeared to be unresponsive. The deputy spotted the bus traveling north on U.S. 41 at Mac Johnson Road and tried to pull it over.
Two deputies eventually stopped the bus on U.S. 411 at the Burnt Hickory Road Connector, where the vehicle came to a halt in the middle of the roadway. They spoke with the driver, 51-year-old Lori Rebecca Hagaman of Adairsville. They noticed her struggling to engage the air brake while appearing confused.
After Hagaman exited the bus, a deputy observed her staggering as she stood and having difficulty descending the stairs. Hagaman denied any medical issues but spoke with slurred speech and hesitated when asked if she had consumed alcohol.
Further checks revealed Hagaman’s red, watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol emanating from her. She consented to field sobriety tests.
During the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, deputies reminded Hagaman multiple times to position her feet together with her arms at her sides. While performing the test, they repeatedly instructed her to keep her head still and follow the stimulus with her eyes only. Hagaman failed to track the stimulus for most of the test.
In the walk-and-turn test instructions, Hagaman placed her right foot on the line instead of her left, requiring several corrections. Once in position, she began falling backward, prompting deputies to halt the test for her safety.
Deputies also stopped the one-leg stand test for Hagaman’s safety after she could not maintain the starting position without toppling over.
Deputies handcuffed Hagaman with her hands behind her back, checked the cuffs for fit, and double-locked them. She agreed to a portable breath test, but refused the state-administered blood test.
While collecting passenger information from the students on the bus, a deputy spotted an insulated cup in the driver’s area cup holder. A closer inspection revealed that it contained what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage.
One parent told a deputy that her 9-year-old daughter suspected Hagaman of intoxication during an earlier elementary school route. The child reported that Hagaman passed bus stops, dropped students at incorrect locations, and made them walk home.
Another parent said her son, a bus passenger, described Hagaman swerving out of her lane and nearly colliding with two vehicles. The son added that students yelled at Hagaman to stop after she missed their stops at Hamilton Crossing.
Deputies arrested Hagaman and transported her to the Bartow County Jail without incident. They issued warrants for driving under the influence of alcohol in a commercial motor vehicle, possessing an open container of alcohol in the passenger area, and 29 counts of reckless conduct endangering others’ bodily safety.
The Bartow County School System released a statement, saying that the incident involving a substitute bus driver resulted in her immediate removal from the assigned route.
There were no reported injuries.
They promptly notified affected families on Bus 116 and made alternative transportation arrangements to ensure student safety.
The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a thorough investigation, and the Bartow County School System is also conducting an internal review.
The safety and well-being of their students remain their highest priority.