Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – A Jonesboro man who threatened a school bus driver in September has pleaded guilty to a felony charge.
Court documents say that Africa Elijah Anderson, 30, entered a guilty plea Nov. 9 to first-degree terroristic threatening, a class D felony. A charge of misdemeanor criminal trespassing was nolle prossed.
Circuit Judge Scott Ellington sentenced Anderson to 60 months of probation and 120 days in the Craighead County Detention Center. Anderson was granted credit for 55 days of jail time already served.
As part of his probation conditions, the court ordered Anderson to have no contact with the victim and required him to complete both anger management and parenting classes. Anderson must also pay a total of $640, which includes a $200 fine, $150 in court costs, a $250 public defender fee, and a $40 jail administration fee.
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The charges stem from a Sept. 15 disturbance at the intersection of Brazos Street and Kingsbury Street.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Anderson aggressively approached a school bus looking for an individual who had cursed at his children. When the bus driver prevented him from boarding, Anderson allegedly became “excited” and threatened to “bust a cap” before returning to the bus holding an unidentified object. Bus security footage also captured him yelling that he was going to come out with a gun.
During a Mirandized interview following his arrest, Anderson admitted to making the threats, telling police he was angry and trying to protect his children.
Following the incident, the Jonesboro Public Schools transportation department implemented updated safety protocols. Parents who need to speak with a bus driver are now required to do so through the driver’s window rather than at the bus doors.
JPS officials previously told JRN that while this specific dispute was not the sole cause of the rule change, it highlighted the district’s need to re-communicate proper safety protocols for these types of situations.
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