Bradenton woman arrested after she tried to force her way onto school bus full of kids, cops say

A 27-year-old Bradenton woman was arrested after she tried to force her way onto a school bus filled with children on their way to Manatee School for the Arts, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Samantha Farmer entered the bus for unknown reasons while the bus was stopped to pick up children at the intersection of Fifth Street West and Orlando Avenue at around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. She was charged with trespassing of a conveyance.

Farmer followed the last child onto the bus and attempted to get back to where the children were sitting, when confronted by the bus driver, who threw up her arm to block Farmer’s access to the children, according to the arrest report.

The Manatee School for the Arts employs their own bus drivers, and is not affiliated with the Manatee County School District. The driver, Dianne Harris, is credited with stopping Farmer from gaining access to where the children were sitting, according to the report.

Harris physically stopped Farmer and demanded she leave the bus, but Farmer refused and sat down on the steps of the bus until law enforcement arrived, deputies say.

Farmer initially refused to comply with law enforcement demands to exit the bus, but eventually did so and was taken into custody without further incident.

“None of the children were harmed and appeared to be completely unfazed by Farmer’s entry onto the bus,” the report states. “It should be noted that every single row of the bus was full of multiple students.”

Farmer was booked into the Manatee County jail on the misdemeanor trespassing charge and was released the next day after posting a $500 bond.

No explanation was given as to why Farmer attempted to gain access to the school bus.