A former Bulloch County Schools bus driver was found guilty of Simple Battery following a trial in December.
William Henry Ponder was arrested by the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office on May 20, 2024 for an incident which reportedly occurred on May 15, 2024.
According to the initial incident report from BCSO, a school resource officer was called to Nevils Elementary School on May 17 “in regards to a Simple Battery that occurred on 5/15/24 on a bus.” Warrants filed in the Clerk of Court’s Office shortly thereafter allege that Ponder “physically pushed [the victim] in a violent matter.”
Ponder was booked in to the Bulloch County Jail on May 20 and released the same day on a $2,000 bond.
Statement from Bulloch County Schools
On May 21, Bulloch County Schools issued a statement:
On Tuesday, May 21, Bulloch County Schools received confirmation from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office that one of its employees, a bus driver, had been arrested.
The arrest stems from a mandated report that the school district made on Friday, May 17 to law enforcement and Bulloch County’s office of the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services. The employee was a driver assigned to the Nevils Elementary School route.
On Friday, May 17, an administrator at Nevils Elementary School, while reviewing a bus surveillance video for a student discipline report, discovered footage in the video that depicted an interaction between a child and the bus driver. This led to the mandated report and the driver being removed from the route pending an investigation by the school district’s Human Resources Department.
As of Monday, May 20, the bus driver is no longer employed by the Bulloch County Board of Education. Bus drivers are classified, non-tenured employees who are not subject to the same employee appeals process as certified staff.
A review of the bus video was initially called for after the bus driver reported a student for fighting on the bus on Wednesday, May 15. The driver was instructed by Transportation Department personnel to pull the bus surveillance video for school administrators. The bus footage was delivered to Nevils Elementary School on May 17.
Accusation in State Court
Because Simple Battery is a misdemeanor offense, it was adjudicated in Bulloch County State Court. The case was formally accused in July 2024. The Accusation for Simple Battery stated that Ponder “did intentionally make physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the person of [student name] by pushing said victim with his hands, in violation of OCGA 16-5-23.”
Under Georgia law, Simple Battery is a misdemeanor defined as either:
- Intentionally making physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the person of another; or
- Intentionally causes physical harm to another.
There was little movement on the case for roughly seventeen months, but in November 2025, State Court Judge Joseph Cushner scheduled the case for trial. Represented by the Public Defender, Ponder asked for a bench trial, meaning Judge Cushner would make the determination after hearing the evidence instead of a jury.
Court documents indicate that Ponder was convicted of Simple Battery following the bench trial and sentenced to the following:
- serve 12 months probation
- complete 20 hours of community service
- pay a $300 fine (plus any fees and add-ons)
- complete an anger management course
- a stay away order from the victim
