A Nebraska school bus driver, accused of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration almost three times the legal limit, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Betty Johnson, aged 68, has entered a no contest plea to charges including DUI with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher, child abuse, and first-offense reckless driving—all of which are misdemeanors, according to a report by KOLN, a CBS affiliate in central Nebraska. As part of the plea deal, the prosecution agreed to drop two charges of transporting a child while intoxicated.

Johnson was employed by the Norris School District in Lancaster County. The incident occurred on May 7, 2025, when she drove her morning bus route carrying 40 children. Following the morning route, she had a break before needing to drive her next scheduled route at noon.

Johnson continued with the noon route and was slated to handle an after-school route as well. However, around 3:30 p.m. that day, school staff raised concerns with the sheriff’s office’s school resource officer. The deputy made contact with Johnson and, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson, found her “noticeably extremely highly intoxicated” during the interaction, as stated in a press conference the following day.

Authorities administered a breathalyzer test to Johnson, which she failed. Her blood alcohol content was reported at 0.22, significantly surpassing the legal limit of 0.08. Subsequently, she was arrested and taken into custody at the local jail.

“Betty did admit to drinking prior to doing her noon bus route,” the spokesman said, though it is unclear if she drank before the morning route, too. “I’ve been doing this job for 32 years now. I have never heard of a school bus driver being intoxicated, let alone this high.”

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.