Bismarck Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

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Bismarck Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

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By Tom Gerhardt, News Director - email

A 41-year-old Bismarck Public Schools bus driver is arrested and charged with DUI this morning.

A concerned parent alerted school officials this morning after smelling alcohol on the breath of Thomas Griak.

Kids were on the bus while Griak was driving. He completed his route around 8:30. School officials contacted Bismarck Police and met Griak at the transportation building on south 9th street.

The legal limit for a commercial driver is point-oh-four. That's tougher than the point-oh-eight for the standard driver.

"We had a report of a bus driver that smelled of alcohol, so we pulled him off the route as soon as we could and we did, called our school resource officer and started an investigation," says Darin Scherr with the Bismarck Public School District.

An officer found enough evidence to arrest Griak for having an illegal alcohol level.

Authorities won't say what his exact blood alcohol was -- because it's evidence in a pending investigation.

Scherr says Griak has been a public schools employee for about a year and a half.

He says the district has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol.

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