Roslyn Anderson - bio | email
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - For the second straight day a school bus has been involved in an accident.
The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m. on McDowell Road near Pine Tree Drive.
While no one on board the bus was injured, police said the crash was intentional.
It was a frightening ride for the driver and students aboard a Jackson Public School bus traveling east on McDowell road Wednesday morning.
Jackson Police report that the driver of a beige Nissan Maxima, 21 year old Kendronikus Powell of Jackson, swerved in front of the bus and slammed on brakes repeatedly trying to cause a crash.
"He then proceeded to stop, make a complete stop with his vehicle and put his vehicle in reverse where he slammed in front of the bus," said J.P.D. Officer Colendula Green.
No one on the bus was injured.
Jackson Public Schools Spokesperson Peggy Hampton said the 13 students and bus driver continued to power APAC and arrived at 7:40 a.m., ten minutes after the start of classes.
Parents were notified.
Investigators said Powell was transported to U.M.C. with non-life threatening injuries.
They later learned he suffers from mental illness.
"We do handle mental subjects on a daily basis, but this is the first incident that we had as far as someone trying to harm themselves along with other people on the roadway," said Green.
"It's very rare that we would just see a person just with a mental illness become violent," said Tonya Tate, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Mississippi.
According to NAMI, not taking medications and other factors could trigger strange behavior.
"People with mental illness more than likely don't become violent. Sometimes it is often mixed with the use of alcohol or it's a dual diagnosis," said Tate.
Once jailed the mentally ill will enter the general population.
"If those that are in there do not understand the person with the mental illness, the person that has the illness more than likely will become victimized," added Tate.
Police must monitor them until they can be placed with the Department of Human Services, The State Hospital at Whitfield or Hudspeth Regional Center.
NAMI wants that help to come within 48 hours.
The organization also worked with the 2010 Legislature to get the C.I.T. or the Crisis Intervention Team Bill passed.
It would offer 40 hours of psychiatric training to law enforcement officers in Jackson and Hinds County on dealing with the mentally ill.
Unfortunately the bill was approved without funding.
Powell will face several charges once he is released from the hospital.
NAMI is asking the state legislature for $80,000.00 to fund the C.I.T. law enforcement training program.
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