North Royalton Assault Case: School Bus Stop Dispute Sparks Legal Battle
An argument at a North Royalton school bus stop on November 1 has led to an assault charge against Sara Jones, 46, despite her claim that she was the victim in the incident.
Jones alleges that a man waiting in his truck for his son to get off the bus physically attacked her during a confrontation over parking. “He said, ‘Don’t you ever touch my truck,’ and then hit me with his door,” Jones told officers in bodycam footage. “He was like, ‘I will stab you in the neck.’”
However, the man and multiple witnesses offered a starkly different account, saying Jones was the aggressor. “She just kept trying to hit me and my phone,” the man stated. Witnesses corroborated his version, saying the man acted in self-defense.
The dispute began when Jones claimed she couldn’t see the bus arrive because the man’s truck was obstructing her view. According to her, he slapped her during the altercation. However, the man told police, “She came at me like three times, and I decided I was calling the police.”
Witnesses further alleged that Jones followed the man to meet his son as the bus arrived. “She started yelling at my son and other kids,” the man said. “My son was practically in tears.”
The following day, Jones was summoned to the North Royalton Police Department to be fingerprinted after being charged with assault. Upset that the man faced no charges, she threatened legal action. “He did not get charged with assault after he slammed me to the ground,” she protested.
Police officers explained that witness statements supported the man’s claim of self-defense. At one point, when Jones appeared ready to leave the police station without completing the booking process, an officer warned her, “You’re not free to go. If you leave this building, you will be arrested.”
Jones eventually complied but continued to challenge the officers, accusing them of avoiding her questions and having “control issues.”
The incident will now be resolved in court, where Jones is scheduled to make her initial appearance on the assault charge on Wednesday, November 30.
