A man who allegedly attacked a school bus driver and attempted to steal a bus with students on board did so with little warning, while the bus was waiting outside of his south Springfield home.
William Trenton Moore, 25, of Springfield, has been charged with vehicle hijacking, assault with intent to hijack a bus and being a registered sex offender within 500 feet of a school bus. Moore, a registered sex offender in Missouri, was convicted in 2021 on charges of kidnapping and sexual misconduct from an event in 2019.
The charges this week stem from an incident April 3, where 13 students were able to escape after Moore attacked the bus driver and stole the keys.
Springfield Public Schools is praising the driver, who despite being attacked, helped her passengers escape unharmed. The driver has not been named by SPS.
“This driver was the consummate professional in the way that she handled herself and put the students’ interest first,” said SPS spokesperson Stephen Hall. “We couldn’t be more proud and appreciative of the calm, assured way that she represented herself in a very unexpected circumstance.”
Bus waiting to pick up student
According to a probable cause statement released Friday, Springfield police said the bus was waiting outside Moore’s residence, in the 2800 block of South Barnes Avenue, at about 8:36 on the morning of April 3. With 13 Pershing Middle School students aboard, the bus was waiting to pick up another student, according to the court document.
Moore approached the bus and immediately started prying the doors open, according to the court document. The driver ordered Moore to get off the bus in a brief verbal exchange.
“Get off the bus!” the driver said, according to the court document.
“This is my bus,” Moore responded.
Security video shows details
Footage recovered from security cameras aboard the bus showed Moore, wearing a green shirt, boarding the bus, stepping into it, leaning over the driver and attempting to grab something out of the camera’s view — that turned out to be the bus’ keys, according to the court document.
The video showed Moore grabbing the driver’s right arm with his left hand and using his right hand to take the keys from the driver.
Cameras showed the students who were aboard the bus begin to move to the back and escape out of the back door, according to the footage. Moore spoke to one student who was sitting directly behind the driver before escaping — the driver said Moore told the student to stay on the bus because they would be safer there.
After taking the keys, Moore stepped off the bus and walked toward the students, then back to the bus. He boarded and exited a few more times before walking away, presumably to his home.
Officers surrounded his home and attempted to talk him out of his home. Moore refused, occasionally peeking his head out of a back door. Negotiators and a K-9 unit were involved.
After a search warrant was obtained, officers forced their way into the home and apprehended him. As of the afternoon of April 5, Moore remained in the Greene County Jail.
Driver back for route next day
The driver was not injured in the attack, and Hall said she reported for work on Thursday.
“In the immediate aftermath, she expressed her desire for things to return to normal as quickly as possible for her students,” Hall said. “We saw that represented in her commitment to be right back at work for her early morning route the next day. She wanted her students to know that she was OK and that she was committed to them.”
Hall said the district trains for similar scenarios every year with staff and students, and that training paid off. Hall praised the students for their level heads, neighbors for their attention and law enforcement for their quick and thorough response.
