COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A Coweta County corrections officer is under investigation after deputies said he threatened to arrest students on a school bus.
The officer is a parent of a student at Northside Elementary School He said students had been bullying his son.
A report from the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office said that on January 5, Kristopher Elder, 37, stepped aboard a bus and spoke to the students, mentioning a few by name. The report said that after the incident, the bus driver had to pull over because the children were scared and needed to calm down.
According to the report, Elder told the children:
“Bullying is illegal. I have handcuffs on my hip and I am not afraid to use them ... if it happens again I will contact your parents and will have you arrested for harassment and bullying.”
The report said the bus driver told Elder that she would take care of it and told him not to get on the bus again.
According to the report, Elder then met with the principal of Northside Elementary School and told her about getting on the bus, saying that he may go to jail for his actions, but that is OK because he is a man and he can take it.
Principal Amy Addison saw the video from the bus and said she was “appalled.”
The warden of the Coweta County Correctional Institute, Larry Clifton, sent a written statement, saying:
“We are aware of what happened on the school bus and immediately began an internal investigation. This type of behavior is unacceptable and we’re handling in accordance with our policies. We are also cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office during the ongoing investigation. We hold our employees to a high ethical standard of conduct and any inappropriate actions will be handled accordingly.”
Elder said his superiors advised that he not speak to the media. The investigation remains active and Elder has not been charged.
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