The Cherry Creek School district bus driver arrested on suspicion of DUI said he had a beer at lunch and flu medication.
Michael Hobbs was picking up kids at West Middle School Thursday when a school employee smelled alcohol on him, according to Cherry Creek Schools spokeswoman Tustin Amole. The employee then reported it to school administrators, who were able to stop him after he made his first stop.
At that point, Amole said, all the kids got off the bus and Hobbs was told to remain at the stop. A paramedic was ordered to check on the driver and cleared him medically.
An Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office deputy was then called to the scene where a roadside sobriety test was done.
In the arrest warrant obtained by Denver7, the deputy said Hobbs swayed a lot while performing the test.
"He had a hard time balancing and fell off the line several times," the deputy wrote.
The deputy said he smelled the odor of unknown alcohol beverage on Hobb's breath.
"Michael's eyes appeared to be glassy and blood shot," the deputy wrote.
The deputy said a portable breath test was performed. The deputy said Hobbs blew a 0.015, which put him under the legal limit for alcohol, but Hobbs was still arrested.
"Believing Michael had alcohol with other substances on board causing poor performance, Michael was handcuffed and transported to the jail," the deputy wrote.
At the jail, a DUI blood nurse took a blood draw. Those results are not yet available.
The driver has been with the Cherry Creek School District since October of 2015.
A parent whose child was on the bus told Denver7 Hobbs was really liked by the kids.
"He used to sing songs and play with them," he said.
He doesn't blame the school district for what happened.
"I think he made a really bad decision," he said.
Chief Deputy Attorney for the Arapahoe County District Attorney's office says they will continue their investigation after Hobbs bonded out of jail Friday afternoon, "...and make sure this case is handled appropriately and make sure that kids are safe because that's a huge number one priority," he said.
A spokesperson for the Cherry Creek School district says administrators plan to meet with Hobbs now that he is out of jail to decide on the next steps.
Hobbs is set to appear in court April 28.
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