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Georgia prison guard board school bus with handcuffs
Kristopher Douglas Elder is accused of boarding a Coweta County school bus, flashing a gold badge, and telling the driver he was a law enforcement official. What investigators say the school bus cameras show.
NEWNAN, Ga. - A Georgia prison guard was arrested after boarding a school bus, flashing a badge, and even threatening a student telling them he had handcuffs. Coweta County investigators believe it was in response to his child being bullied at his elementary school.
Kristopher Douglas Elder, 37, of Newnan, was charged with disrupting a public school on Jan. 12 in an incident caught by the surveillance cameras aboard the school bus.
Once Elder got onto the school bus, he flashed a gold badge and told the driver, "Hey, so I’m a law enforcement officer, and I’m gonna address an issue."
According to a police report, Elder was concerned that his child had been bullied by two students on the bus. All the students attend Northside Elementary School in Coweta County.
Investigators say on the bus recording, Elder says, "Bullying is illegal, I have handcuffs on my hip, and I am not afraid to use them…" He then goes on to say he will have the students arrested.
The police report says when the principal of the elementary school reviewed the bus recording, she called the sheriff’s office saying she was appalled by Elder’s actions, calling them unacceptable.
The bus driver says the children were upset, and she had to pull the bus over to calm them down.
A letter went home to parents encouraging them to reach to school administration with concerns.
The school system says neither the child nor the parent reported the bullying before Elder boarded the bus without permission. They say they take bully reports seriously and will investigate.
The warden of the Coweta State Prison confirms Elder is actually a detention officer there. The warden told FOX 5, "This type of behavior is not acceptable, and we’re handling it in accordance with our policies. We are also cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office during the ongoing investigation."