School Bus Driver Busted for Selling Meth
ARROYO GRANDE – An Arroyo Grande school bus driver was arrested last Thursday afternoon on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale.
April Annamarie Nunez
Nipomo resident April Annamarie Nunez, 31, an employee of the Lucia Mar Unified School District, was taken into custody without incident around 2 p.m. on Nov. 29 after she was pulled over driving her assigned school bus on Huasna Road in rural Arroyo Grande.
“The investigators were hoping to reach her before she got to work, but she had already gotten on the bus,” said Tony Cipolla, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. “They didn’t want (an arrest) to happen in front of the school.”
Nunez was assigned to pick-up students getting out of class at Mesa Middle School in rural Arroyo Grande.
Because Nunez was already a suspect in an investigation into the sale of methamphetamine, deputies were able to make a traffic stop on the bus and search Nunez’s private vehicle, where they allegedly located a small amount of meth, a scale and packaging materials consistent with the sale of the narcotic, Cipolla said.
Nunez was also carrying $1,200 cash when she was arrested. Investigators don’t believe Nunez was selling the narcotic to students, according to Cipolla.
“The investigators have said that there’s no indication she was selling (drugs) to the kids,” Cipolla said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Nunez was no longer in custody as of Monday, Dec. 3.
Nunez has worked for Lucia Mar as a bus driver since 2006. A background check conducted prior to Nunez being hired by Lucia Mar revealed nothing criminal that would have prevented her from being hired by the school district, officials said.
Nunez has been placed on paid administrative leave, as required by law. However, if the District Attorney’s Office files charges against her, the school district can consider placing her on unpaid administrative leave, pending the outcome of a criminal court trial, officials said.
Read More:
CalCoastNews: Lucia Mar Unified School Bus Driver Arrested for Dealing Meth
Santa MAria Times: Nipomo School Bus Driver Suspected of Selling Meth
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Lucia Mar School Bus Driver Arrested on Suspicion of Possessing Meth for Sale
