VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — A former Porter Township school bus driver has pleaded not guilty after three students were allowed to drive her bus while others were riding.
The Times reports that 27-year-old Joandrea McAtee appeared Monday in Porter Superior Court.
McAtee is charged with neglect of a dependent, a felony.
Police said the students -- ages 11, 13 and 17 -- drove the bus Sept. 20 in a rural area of Valparaiso as other students were being dropped off after school. McAtee was fired by the district and the school bus company.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Jan. 28.