BEND, Ore. (April 7, 2026) — A Bend-La Pine Schools bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless endangering after allegedly operating a school bus while intoxicated last week.
According to the Bend Police Department, officers were notified of the incident at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Friday, April 3, after a Bend-La Pine Schools transportation employee reported concerns about a fellow driver.
The employee told authorities that 67-year-old Martha Ann Gerlicher had contacted the transportation office earlier in the day, claiming the brakes on her bus were not functioning properly. Gerlicher had just completed a route for Pine Ridge Elementary School and was at High Desert Middle School preparing to begin another route.
When the transportation employee arrived at the school around 3:15 p.m., they determined the bus had no mechanical issues but suspected Gerlicher was under the influence of alcohol. The employee removed her from duty and transported her to a private testing facility, where breath samples reportedly showed high levels of alcohol.
Several hours later, Bend-La Pine Schools officials contacted nonemergency dispatch to report the incident. Officers responded to Gerlicher’s residence, where she was taken into custody without incident.
Police said Gerlicher was transported to the Bend Police Department, where at approximately 11 p.m.—about seven hours after the initial test—she recorded a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit.
Gerlicher was later lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of DUI and reckless endangering.
The case remains under investigation.
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Why didn’t the school immediately contact the police after she was tested at the private facility? Alcohol dissipates out of the body over time. Were they hoping she would blow a ,00 by the time they reported her to the police? Public administrators can be notorious for sweeping things under the rug to protect their own and themselves.