An ordinary after-school bus run in Bend turned into a criminal case on April 3, when a Bend-La Pine Schools transportation supervisor reported that a district bus driver appeared intoxicated while operating an afternoon route that had carried elementary students. Authorities say the driver completed a Pine Ridge Elementary run, then reported possible brake trouble after arriving at High Desert Middle School. A supervisor checked the bus, found no mechanical issue, suspected impairment instead, pulled the driver from service and took her to a private testing facility for breath samples. Later that evening, police arrested her at home on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) and reckless endangering. Officers recorded a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.16, roughly seven hours after the initial test.
Bend Police said they received a call around 6:45 p.m. on April 3 from a Bend-La Pine Schools transportation employee who reported a driver under the influence, according to KATU. The station identified the driver as 67-year-old Martha Ann Gerlicher and reported that officers arrested her at her Bend residence later that night.
Local television coverage also reports that Gerlicher had already finished a route carrying 18 Pine Ridge Elementary students before continuing on to High Desert Middle School, where the transportation supervisor called for help, as detailed by KTVZ. The station added that the district placed Gerlicher on administrative leave and notified the families of the students the following day.
Legal implications
Under Oregon law, having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher within two hours of driving is presumptive evidence of DUII, according to ORS 813.010. Recklessly endangering another person, the other suspicion cited by police, is defined in statute as conduct that creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury, as outlined in ORS 163.195.
District response and parent notifications
Bend-La Pine Schools told reporters that student safety remains its top priority and that the district has “zero tolerance for behavior that endangers the well-being of children,” according to KATU. Officials said they informed the families of the 18 elementary students the day after the incident and are cooperating with the police investigation.
What this means for bus safety
The district’s transportation page notes that bus operators must pass written DMV tests, a DOT physical and drug screening, and a national background check before they are cleared to drive routes, and that district buses are equipped with video cameras, according to Bend-La Pine Schools. The district also reports that it transported an average of about 5,919 students daily during the 2024–25 school year, a volume that helps explain why officials say they acted quickly to remove the driver from service.
The case remains under investigation. Local reporting shows that Gerlicher was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of DUII and reckless endangering while prosecutors weigh whether to file formal charges, KTVZ reported. Bend Police did not immediately release further details and directed additional questions to the Deschutes County District Attorney's office.
