The Rockland Police Department arrested school bus driver Jeffrey Colburn, 65, of Camden, on Thursday on manslaughter charges following a months-long investigation into the fatal Rockland bus crash that killed 12-year-old RSU 13 student Brayden Callahan.
[RELATED: Rockland School Bus Driver Placed on Leave After Fatal Collision, Records Show Prior OUI Conviction…]
Rockland police took Colburn into custody after a grand jury indictment was handed down, and the Knox County District Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.
The Rockland Criminal Investigation Division has worked with the Knox District Attorney’s Office since the tragic crash in November. The investigation involved interviewing witnesses, consulting experts, and reviewing records.
Callahan was reportedly struck by the bus just after Colburn had dropped him off on Broadway in Rockland.
He was rushed to Pen Bay Medical Center and transported by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries.
Police did not specify what led to the crash and did not explain what evidence led authorities to charge Colburn with manslaughter.
Colburn notably had a prior 2015 OUI conviction that resulted in a temporary license suspension. He crashed in 2022 and again in October 2025, just one month before the fatal crash, in which he hit a parked car with a school bus.
He was nevertheless allowed by RSU13 to continue working as a bus driver, entrusted with the safety of children.
[RELATED: Parents of Child Killed in Rockland Bus Crash File Lawsuit Against RSU 13 and School Bus Driver…]
Callahan’s parents filed a lawsuit against both Colburn and the school district.
