Antioch teen arrested in school bus theft

Police say four teens stole parked bus and took turns driving By Nicole Young • THE TENNESSEAN • October 13, 2009 A 14-year-old Antioch Middle School student is being charged with auto theft in Juvenile Court after the boy stole a school bus from a South Nashville elementary school Sunday afternoon, Metro Police said. The Tennessean does not identify juvenile crime suspects unless they are transferred to adult court. The boy was arrested Monday. Police said the incident was captured on surveillance cameras on the bus. A school resource officer at Antioch Middle School watched the video Monday and identified the teenager. Police said three other students, identified as a 15-year-old girl and two 13-year-old girls, also took part in the theft. They were arrested Monday night and charged with auto theft in Juvenile Court. Metro Nashville Public Schools spokeswoman Noelle Mashburn said the bus was taken from Cole Elementary School and was not damaged during the incident. "It runs a special education route for Cole and Haywood elementary schools," she said. Mashburn declined to release any further information about the incident. Teens found key inside Police said the students were able to gain entry to the bus and take it after finding a key inside a satchel stored on board. The four teenagers stole the bus at 3:45 p.m. Sunday and took turns driving, police said. Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said a citizen spotted the bus on Colemont Drive, noted the teens onboard, and followed it. Less than a mile from the school, at the intersection of Bart Drive and Keeley Drive, the teens got off the bus and left the area on foot. "The citizen reported its location and the fact that the teens had abandoned it," Aaron said. "The police searched the area for the teens but did not find them Sunday."