A St. Louis County school bus driver who was caught driving his route while intoxicated with students on board will serve just one day in jail, along with two years of supervised probation, following a sentencing last Monday, April 13, 2026. The conviction stems from a Sept. 4, 2024, traffic stop in which deputies reported a preliminary blood-alcohol reading far above the limit set for commercial drivers, with more than a dozen students riding the bus at the time.
According to FOX 9, 44-year-old Anthony Stephen Israelson was convicted on two gross-misdemeanor counts: driving a school bus under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle while impaired. He received concurrent 364-day sentences on each count, with 363 days stayed on both. The court ordered him to serve one day in jail, with credit for one day already served, complete 120 days of electronic home monitoring, and remain on supervised probation for two years under St. Louis County probation in Duluth.
What Happened On Sept. 4, 2024
The case began when a concerned caller reported seeing the driver leave a bar in Brookston and phoned 911, worried he would head out on his morning school route after drinking. As reported by the Duluth News Tribune, deputies later stopped the bus after watching it cross the center line. A preliminary breath test at the scene registered 0.161, and the criminal complaint states there were 17 to 18 students onboard at the time of the stop.
State Law And Penalties For School-Bus Drivers
Minnesota treats alcohol use behind the wheel of a school or Head Start bus as its own zero-tolerance offense. Section 169A.31 of state law makes it a crime to operate those buses with physical evidence of alcohol present and allows gross-misdemeanor charges in many situations. The broader DWI statute sets a lower per se limit for commercial vehicles, 0.04, under Minnesota law, and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety notes that drivers arrested at 0.16 blood-alcohol concentration or higher are typically routed into the state’s ignition-interlock program to regain limited driving privileges.
Sentence Details And What Comes Next
Along with jail, home monitoring, and probation, the court ordered Israelson to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving impact panel within 30 days and to follow ignition-interlock rules, according to FOX 9. Court documents cited by the station also require him to abstain from alcohol and marijuana unless prescribed and to pay $500 in fines by April 24, 2026.
Local outlets reported that the sheriff’s office notified parents after deputies removed the children from the bus at the scene of the stop, and CBS Minnesota noted that district staff were sent to take custody of the students and contact families. The outcome underscores the stricter standards Minnesota places on drivers who transport children and illustrates how judges can combine jail, electronic monitoring, and treatment-related conditions in response to violations of those laws.
