POLK COUNTY — A Polk County school bus driver was arrested Friday after police said he repeatedly caused hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the surveillance system on his bus.
Vernorris Rambow, 47, of Kissimmee was arrested and charged with one count of felony criminal mischief. A police report alleges Rambow damaged several hard drives and wires connected to the surveillance system because he “did not want to get in trouble at work.”
In September 2021, Polk County Public Schools received a complaint about Rambow. A specialist was sent to retrieve the video from the onboard camera, but they were unable because the hard drive and wires were damaged. The hard drive was replaced.
In November 2021, PCPS received a complaint regarding bullying on the bus. Another safety specialist was sent to retrieve the video but they were again unable. Deputies said the same type of damage to the video system hard drive and wires was found. The hard drive was replaced.
Two months later, deputies said Rambow’s supervisor had a heated phone conversation with him while he was on the bus. A specialist was sent to retrieve the video evidence of the conversation for disciplinary reasons but the system was damaged, and no video existed. It was again replaced.
After the third incident, deputies said PCPS suspected Rambow was intentionally damaging the hard drives. A supervisor told Rambow another complaint was filed and video would need to be retrieved. Like past incidents, no video could be extracted due to the same type of hard drive damage.
“This is a shame – this school bus driver might have faced some discipline at work due to some complaints, but now he’s facing a felony conviction and may be out of a job,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “The children on his bus were better behaved than he was.”
Deputies said Rambow eventually admitted he damaged all four hard drives. The total amount of damage equaled $1,440.
Rambow was arrested, but released from the Polk County Jail after posting $1,000 bond.
