A school bus driver was charged with driving under the influence after authorities say he showed up at Cottage Grove’s Park High School last winter intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving a private vehicle. Minnesota’s standard for school bus drivers, however, is zero.
Joshua Nathaniel Lueth, 36, of Hastings, had his first court appearance last week. He was charged in March with one count of second-degree driving under the influence and one count of second-degree driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of above 0.08 and one count of intentionally obstructing, resisting or interfering with a peace officer engaging in his official duties.
The criminal complaint in Washington County District Court gives the following details about the Feb. 26 incident:
Shortly after 3 p.m., Cottage Grove police received a report of a possible drunken driver in front of the school. The caller, a school employee, said she was trying to stop the school bus driver from leaving the property.
When police arrived at the school, an officer asked Lueth if he had driven the bus to the school. Lueth responded to the officer that he “has a job” and to leave him alone because he “has the last half of his route to complete.”
The officer noticed there were two students on board the bus, ages 15 and 16. The 15-year-old uses a wheelchair, the complaint said. School staff said that Leuth was having trouble earlier using the lift that helped the student using the wheelchair into the bus and had leaned on the lift to maintain his balance.
Officers saw that Lueth was speaking slowly and slurring his words, that his eyes were red and glassy, and that he was having trouble maintaining his balance. Lueth said that he hadn’t taken any prescribed medication or controlled substances, or consumed alcohol.
Lueth was taken into custody. His blood-alcohol concentration from a blood sample was 0.289.
Video obtained by investigators showed that during the drive to the high school, Lueth crossed the center lane several times on U.S. 61. Upon arriving at the school, he pulled into a non-bus lane and had to make a U-turn against the flow of traffic.
Shortly after he arrived at the school, a staff member took the bus keys away from him. The vehicle was owned and operated by Hastings-based Big River Bus Co.
Lueth’s driving record showed that he had been charged with drunken driving in Wisconsin in an incident on Dec. 14, 2024, in Pepin County. That case is still pending.
He is expected in court again on June 5.