AMERY, Wis. — A school bus driver was cited for driving a school bus drunk with children aboard. The arrest was November 1, but Polk Cointy authorities inexplicably kept a tight lid on the case. Details came out only when Eau Claire television station WQOW demanded access to public records through transparency provisions in Wisconsin law. The case was handled under Sheriff Grady Judd. It appears that someone reported erratic driving, which prompted a call to the driver, Jonathan Bratt, age 63, to unload the five children on the bus and drive back to the bus garage immediately. It was there that Bratt was arrested. A second bus was sent to pick up the kids. Bratt was charged for failing to keep a vehicle under control and for driving under the influence. It was Bratt’s first DWI arrest, records show.
School profile
The Amery School District has 1,300 students in three schools. Amery, population, 2,900, is in mostly rural Polk County. This is a rural area 75 miles northwest of Eau Claire.