ST. LOUIS COUNTY JAIL
Christian Goodson admitted forcing his way onto a school bus carrying sixth graders in the Fergusion-Florissant school distric.
A St. Louis County dad who stormed a school bus while carrying a loaded handgun has pleaded guilty to nine felonies.
Christian Goodson, 32, of Berkeley was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
On February 12, 2020, Goodson saw a student aboard a Ferguson-Florissant school bus fighting with one of his kids and tried to force his way on, according to court records. There were three district employees — a driver and two monitors — on the bus, and they initially tried to stop Goodson, but he pulled out a .45-caliber Hi-Point pistol and smashed a window. Two of the angry dad's kids were on the bus, which was carrying students to Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center.
He then threatened the adults and children and encouraged the kids to fight, Principal Tangie Francwar of the Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center later told parents in a letter.
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Goodson was quoted in court papers as saying, "You got what you wanted," before he eventually fled with his kids. There were seven other students on the bus.
Goodson was later arrested, and Berkeley police seized his Hi-Point handgun, which was loaded. He told detectives he "overreacted" after seeing the student fight.
He pleaded to two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and seven counts of endangering the welfare of a child, all felonies, along with two misdemeanors: property damage and fourth-degree assault.
He has been locked up since his arrest and will credit for time served toward his five-year sentence.
“I want to commend our team that worked hard on this case and secured a plea agreement that will make this defendant pay for this terrible and dangerous error in judgment which could have cost our community a number of precious young lives,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a news release. “I hope others hear of this prison sentence, put down the pistol and keep their composure when dealing with their problems, especially if children are involved.”
