Keys Left in Unattended School Bus.
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The Tennessee Conservative [By David Seal] –
The most recent school bus incident in Jefferson County left $50,000 in property damage and a student resource officer injured according to the police report filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on August 7, 2025.
A 19-year-old suspect boarded an unattended school bus at Rush Strong School where he found the ignition key in the bus and started the engine. Rush Strong School Student Resource Officer Chris Holloway observed the suspect behind the wheel of the bus, later he was joined by Officer Mason Byrd who was dispatched to the scene.
The suspect was backing the bus toward a chain link fence.
When SRO Holloway approached the bus, the suspect had rammed the fence causing $5000 in damage to the fence and $45,000 in damage to the bus.
Officer Byrd, who authored the police report stated “Deputy Holloway stated as he approached the bus [suspect] Cannon exited the bus and stated he was working for maintenance and was taking it for an oil change. I then arrived on scene along with Chief Carter at which time we attempted to take Cannon into custody, and he began resisting/ fighting in an attempt to keep us from taking him into custody.”
Suspect Cannon was tazed by Holloway and during the struggle to arrest him, Chief Deputy Carter and Byrd struggled to subdue him. In the chaos, Holloway was bitten by the suspect 3 times.
The central dispatch [911] report indicated that “1161 [Holloway] was transported to Jefferson Memorial Hospital BECAUSE THE SUBJECT BIT A BASEBALL SIZE CHUNK OF HIS ARM AND HE NEEDS TO BE CHECKED”
The suspect was taken to jail, but the questions started pouring in.
Business owner and County Commissioner Rob Blevins (R-Strawberry Plains) himself a former police officer asked, “why was the ignition key left in an unattended school bus at the school, accessible to any child, criminal, or adult that may just wander by?”
That question was put to the Jefferson County Schools transportation supervisor by the Tennessee Conservative News.
We asked the following 2 questions.
- “It is my understanding that the keys were left in the unattended bus involved in the incident. Could you please comment on why the ignition key was left in an unattended school bus parked at Rush Strong School.
- Is it common practice for ignition keys to be left in unattended buses, and if so, why?
The transportation supervisor provided the following statement in response to our questions.
“Mr. Seal, Keeping school bus keys accessible on the bus is a critical safety measure for handling unforeseen circumstances. In the event of an emergency, a mechanical failure, severe weather, or the need to quickly evacuate, authorized personnel must be able to operate or relocate the vehicle immediately. Of course, this is done with protocols in place to try and prevent unauthorized access and to maintain security.” – said Ron Overton, Transportation Supervisor and Safe Schools Coordinator, Jefferson County Schools
In this case, the school system protocols failed to keep a random suspect from boarding the school bus, starting the engine, ramming a fence, and doing serious property damage.
Commissioner Blevins question, and the practice of leaving keys in school buses, resonates with a recent public service campaign by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office urging that keys should not be left in unattended vehicles.
As one observer pointed out, “a student could have gotten on the bus and started the engine as well.” She went on to say that “under slightly different circumstances pedestrians at Rush Strong School could have been run over as well. We are lucky that a fence and bus were all that was damaged.”
About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and past Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level. David is also a 2024 winner of The Tennessee Conservative Flame Award & has received an accolade from the Institute For Justice for successfully lobbing the TN legislature to protect property rights. David can be reached at david@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
