A Georgia church deacon and high school teacher is facing criminal charges after allegedly kicking four young children off a church bus and abandoning them along a busy road nearly four miles from home because they were misbehaving.
The disturbing incident unfolded Sunday, October 11, in Albany, Georgia, leaving a frantic mother searching for her missing children until a passing stranger eventually brought them home.
Erin Menefee, 42, a deacon at Oakridge Baptist Church who also teaches at Mitchell County High School, was arrested and charged with four counts of reckless conduct.
According to an Albany Police Department incident report obtained by WALB, the trouble began when Menefee was driving approximately 20 children home from church.
Among the passengers were three siblings, ages 12, 11 and 9, along with their 10-year-old friend, who had been invited to attend church with them.
Menefee reportedly became frustrated when the four children began cursing, hitting one another and causing a disturbance.
Instead of taking them home, police say he ordered the children off the bus near the intersection of Westover Boulevard and Gillionville Road, a heavily traveled area several miles from their neighborhood.
He then allegedly drove away, leaving the children without adult supervision.
Their mother became alarmed when they failed to arrive home as expected.
According to the police report, she had been told that Menefee removed the children from the bus because of their behavior. She immediately got into her vehicle and began searching the surrounding streets.
Although she spotted the church bus and managed to speak with Menefee, she still could not locate her children.
Menefee reportedly told her he had dropped them off farther down the road.
Growing increasingly worried, the mother drove to Oakridge Baptist Church, hoping to speak with the pastor and find out what had happened.
While she was there, she received a call informing her that a stranger had spotted the children and given them a ride home.
Fortunately, all four children made it back safely.
But the explanation for why they had been left behind only made the situation more troubling.
According to investigators, the children’s grandmother reported that Menefee had called her and explained that he removed the youngsters from the bus because they were cursing and fighting.
The grandmother told police that Menefee said he “don’t play that” when describing his response to their behavior.
When officers questioned Menefee, he reportedly acknowledged removing the children from the bus.
He explained that the group had been disruptive and that he believed their behavior created a safety concern while he was driving.
Menefee also claimed he contacted the children’s grandmother and asked her to pick them up.
However, according to police, he admitted that he should have waited until a responsible adult arrived before leaving the children at the intersection.
Officers subsequently arrested him and transported him to the Dougherty County Jail.
The case has raised concerns about the responsibilities of adults entrusted with transporting children, particularly when discipline and passenger safety become competing issues.
While disruptive behavior can create genuine safety risks aboard a moving vehicle, removing young passengers without ensuring they have a safe way home can expose them to additional dangers.
Georgia’s reckless conduct law generally applies when someone consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk to another person’s safety.
Prosecutors will have to establish whether Menefee’s alleged actions meet that legal standard. The criminal charges do not constitute a finding of guilt.
Menefee has since been released from jail after posting bond.
It remains unclear whether Oakridge Baptist Church or Mitchell County High School has taken any disciplinary action in response to his arrest.
Authorities have not publicly announced his next court date.
For the mother involved, what should have been an ordinary Sunday trip home from church became a frightening search for four missing children.
Although the youngsters eventually returned home unharmed, the deacon who was supposed to deliver them safely now faces four criminal charges over his alleged decision to leave them behind.
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