Police say stolen bus in chase had boy, 10, behind the wheel

LITTLE ROCK — A 10-year-old boy stole a Dumas School District bus Friday night and led police on a chase toward Pine Bluff, where he stopped the bus, Arkansas State Police said.

The boy was released into the custody of his parents, and Dumas police would not release any other information.

Exactly where the school bus was stolen from, the time of the theft and how the child started the bus was unknown Saturday. State police said the boy stopped the bus south of Pine Bluff on Arkansas 65 near Osborn Road. Several law-enforcement agencies assisted the Arkansas State Police in the chase, including those from Dumas, Lincoln County, Jefferson County and Pine Bluff.

The boy, who drove the bus more than 30 miles, came across road spikes on Arkansas 65, but it wasn't known if the bus rolled over the spikes or not.

The highway is two lanes from Dumas to Grady and then becomes a divided four-lane highway.

Dumas School Superintendent Tom Cox could not be reached for comment Saturday. A school employee drove the bus back to Dumas.