Investigators say a Flagler county school bus driver was arrested this week after allegedly driving dozen of students home while under the influence of alcohol.

Flagler County Sheriff's deputies said Mark McNeil, 60, picked up 40 children and began dropping them off while under the influence Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators say a co-worker told supervisors that McNeil smelled of alcohol. Deputies said they later determined his blood alcohol content was four times the legal limit.

“I am a school teacher so it really bothers me to know he was working in our school system and taking our kids home,” said parent Julie Sheffield.

Anthony Stewart has an eighth grade son that goes to Buddy Taylor Middle School.

He said what McNeil is accused of doing is wrong on many levels.

“When you are on company time and my kids and everybody else kid’s lives are in your hands — can’t do it, you can’t do it,” said Stewart.

McNeil is also accused of driving off in a bus not assigned to him before starting to pick up students on his afternoon route.

When McNeil’s supervisors finally caught up with him, deputies say he started to have a medical emergency.

None of the kids were hurt during the incident, officials said.

“The person you trust to take care of them to get them from school to home — and what not if they are not on it, drinking come on now,” said Stewart.

McNeil was charged with driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence, both misdemeanors, and a felony county of child neglect without bodily harm.

He was released Thursday on bonds totaling $4,000.

According to investigators, just three days before Wednesday's incident, the Florida Highway Patrol cited McNeil for failure to obey a stop sign after he was involved in a school bus crash while driving the same afternoon route.