Continuing coverage now as we can confirm the arrest of 70-year-old Stephan Heath of Carmi in Bond County. He was the bus driver of the approximately 40 youth loaded on the fan bus who got turned around on the way home from the super sectional volleyball match. Heath has been preliminarily charged with Driving while under the influence of alcohol, another drug, intoxicating compound or compounds or any combination thereof and also a count of Illegal Stopping/Standing/Parking. There’s been much speculation on social media since the event. Also Wednesday afternoon, Carmi-White County Unit 5 School Superintendent Jarrod Newell issued the following:
Carmi-White County CUSD #5 takes great care in all matters involving our students, staff, and community with care and diligence. The district is aware of an incident with the student fan bus following the Volleyball Super-Sectional Game on Monday evening and are investigating the matter. Any concerns involving personnel, students, and school safety matters are taken seriously, ensuring fairness and accuracy, and addressed appropriately. We always appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding, and respect to ensure a process of care, diligence, accuracy, and fairness that allows for all matters to be appropriately addressed.
Some have suspected Heath may have potentially been having a medical issue and while we can’t confirm, we’ve been told chemical tests that typically take 30 days or more to return results were taken. It’s reported that school administrators made their way up to rural Bond County and brought the bus with children still aboard back home and they arrived at around 2am on Tuesday, November 11th. Families were aware something was awry while they were able to track their youngster’s location through family safety/location-sharing apps. Heath is due in Bond County Court for a first appearance on December 29th.
Original story from 11/12/25: No Official Comment from District 5 on Fan Bus Detour – WRUL-FM
Carmi White County School leaders are keeping mum to this point on an alleged incident that occurred on the way home from the volleyball super sectional. The incident in question apparently is the ride home itself in which the bus driver traveled the wrong direction for some time. The school to this point says they have no official comment other than that the safety of students is paramount. The bus made it as far as Bond County, Illinois heading southwest instead of southeast home after the game. Some parents were able to track the bus through their family safety and location-sharing apps. The bus did arrive back with all students safe and sound at around 2am according to parents.