A Polk County school bus driver was arrested after deputies said she staged a fight between two students in her front yard.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, 29-year-old Patrice Sanders of Lakeland picked up kids from three Bartow schools, Gause Academy, Summerlin Academy, and Bartow High School, as part of her normal duties.

But when she heard two girls, a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old, verbally arguing on the bus, deputies say she made the statement, “This is going to be handled today and they just need to fight.”

Deputies say Sanders then drove the school bus directly to her house located on Enterprise Drive in Lakeland, bypassing any and all stops she was supposed to make to let kids off the bus.

"When we first learned of this last night we thought this is so bizarre it’s got to be true because people can’t make this up," said Sheriff Grady Judd at a press conference Friday afternoon.



Deputies say she ordered all of the children to get off of the bus, and told the two girls that she would give them Vaseline or baby oil to put on their faces so their faces wouldn’t get scratched during the fight.

The 13-year-old told Sanders that she did not want to fight, according to deputies. Deputies say Sanders went inside her house to try to find Vaseline or baby oil and couldn’t find any.

The girls then physically fought in Sanders’ front yard, as witnessed by Sanders and all of the other children who had gotten off of the bus, deputies say. At least one child videotaped the fight on a cell phone.

Sanders did not try to stop the fight, but stood by and watched, deputies say.

"They fight until they reach a point of exhaustion," said Sheriff Grady Judd at a press conference Friday afternoon.

“At one point in one of the clips, you can see the bus driver jumping up and down and cheering as the fight is occurring. You hear and see the students, about 32 students, jumping up and down and cheering and also taking video clips with their iPhones."

Sanders then ordered all of the kids back onto the bus, according to deputies. Once the bus was back in motion, the same two girls began physically fighting again.



Sanders pulled the bus over and watched them fight until they were done, according to deputies. Deputies say she did not try to stop the fight.



When they were done, deputies say she told all of the kids on the bus, “What happens on the bus, stays on the bus,” and then proceeded to take them all to their bus stops.

“Can you imagine all of those iPhones, all of those clips and she thinks that’s going to stay on the bus?" Judd said.



That evening, the 13-year-old victim’s mother reported the incident to deputies and took her daughter to the hospital to be checked out. She did not have any serious injuries.

Judd said he'd say to Sanders; “C’mon girl, what are you thinking? How in the world could you allow, and promote and encourage children to fight? And you’re their bus driver and you’re responsible for them.”

Sanders has been charged with child abuse, child neglect, false imprisonment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She is scheduled to make a first appearance on Saturday morning.

