Brunswick County Schools releases statement after man walked onto school bus

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A registered sex offender from Winnabow was arrested after allegedly walking onto a Bolivia Elementary school bus on Friday morning.

John Colombo, 45, was arrested and charged with sex offender/child premises and trespass/impede school bus.

Brunswick County Schools released a statement regarding the incident and said, “An adult briefly boarded the bus and engaged in a short conversation with the bus driver regarding a seating concern involving the individual’s child.”

According to the release, students were on board at the time but their safety was never compromised.

Here is the full statement from the district:

“Brunswick County Schools is aware of an incident that occurred yesterday morning involving a school bus on a morning route.
An adult briefly boarded the bus and engaged in a short conversation with the bus driver regarding a seating concern involving the individual’s child. The individual entered the bus interior and exited shortly thereafter. In accordance with established transportation safety protocols, the bus driver activated the onboard alert and recording system, which immediately documented the incident and notified appropriate personnel. Students were on board at the time, and at no point was student safety compromised. Upon arrival at school, a student appropriately alerted school administration, allowing administrators to immediately follow established procedures. The alert system also notified the School Resource Officer, who is coordinating with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office as part of an ongoing investigation. All applicable safety procedures were followed appropriately and functioned as designed. Brunswick County Schools regularly trains staff and students on safety protocols to ensure incidents are reported and handled quickly and correctly. Due to the active nature of the Sheriff’s Office investigation, Brunswick County Schools cannot provide
additional details at this time. The safety and well being of our students and staff remains our highest priority.”