A former Carroll County school bus driver who crashed a school bus near Liberty High School on Sept. 15 has been charged with multiple violations, the Maryland State Police said Tuesday.
More than six months after the crash, police announced that blood test results led to charging Tammy J. Frock, 55, of Westminster with driving while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance, reckless driving in wanton and willful disregard for safety of persons and property, and other violations.
The media representative said they issued the charges on Friday after consulting with the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office.
State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said Tuesday that he was not at liberty to disclose what substances were in Frock’s system at the time of the crash.
A state police media representative said Frock was issued the citations at her home, and a court date has yet to be set.
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At about 2 p.m., Sept. 15 on Route 32 in Eldersburg, Frock was driving a 2016 school bus owned by Johnson Bus Service, LCC, of Westminster, according to a Maryland State Police news release. Frock drove off the right side of Route 32 and hit power poles north of Bartholow Road. No students were on the bus at the time of the crash.
Carroll County Breaking News
Frock was arrested at the scene of the crash after state troopers said they observed possible signs of intoxication. She was released from custody that day, pending the results of a blood analysis, police said.
Police said in October that because there were no fatalities in the crash, the blood test results and a decision by the state’s attorney could take months. On March 20, a police media representative said that the blood test results were “in the final scientific confirmation process.”
That process is a complex testing process using instrumentation to compare the sample being tested with known standards of drugs, police said. During this phase of the process, results of the confirmation require scientific interpretation and a subsequent review process before the report is issued.
A representative with Johnson Bus Service, which contracts with Carroll County Public Schools, said Frock is no longer certified to drive a school bus, and is no longer employed with the company.
CCPS bus drivers are employees of independent bus contractors and are certified to drive a school bus by the school system based on Maryland Department of Transportation regulations. All CCPS-certified drivers must complete background checks, including a preemployment physical with drug and alcohol screening. Drivers must also submit to random drug and alcohol testing by Carroll Occupational Health, said Carey Gaddis, CCPS communications officer.