BYBEE (WATE) - A Cocke County man is facing charges although he told officers he accidentally shot a passing school bus with students on board Tuesday.
James A. McGaha, 24, of Bybee, is charged with reckless endangerment and vandalism.
A Cocke County school bus driver was traveling east on Knob Creek Road in Bybee Tuesday with close to 40 students of all ages on board when the incident happened.
The driver told sheriff's officers he heard a loud noise he thought was a shot when he was near Brunner Grove Church.
"We just heard a thud and wondered what was going on," explained 18-year-old Amber Schutte who was on the bus with her 7-year-old niece Rayne.
The driver stopped the bus, got out and found a hole in the bus under the driver's seat. No one was injured.
"It's scary because it could have been me who got shot. It could have been her," said Schutte, referring to Rayne. "The bus driver could have got shot and the bus could have gone off the cliff."
McGaha told officers he was shooting a 30/30 rifle at a dog chasing his horses when the bus passed. He said he didn't see the bus.
Sheriff Armando Fontes says he doesn't believe McGaha's account of the incident.
"I mean, it's hard to miss a big, yellow bus," Sheriff Fontes said. "Plus, the area he was shooting in, it just doesn't make any sense."
Fontes says McGaha has a criminal history that includes 4 DUIs, theft and drug charges. Locals tell 6 News that McGaha's also been known to randomly fire his rifle in that area.
James A. McGaha (source: Knox County Sheriff's Office)
The driver found a hole in the bus under the driver's seat. (source: Cocke County Sheriff's Office)
