Concord police sergeant suspended for passing stopped school bus

CONCORD, N.C. — Concord Police Sergeant Matthew Willet has been suspended from the department after being caught on video passing a stopped school bus just before 3 p.m. last Thursday on Odell Road, police say.

The department became aware of the incident after a parent shared the video on social media. Willet was cited by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for passing a stopped school bus, the department released Monday.

According to a release from the department, the internal investigation into the May 11 incident has finished, and Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek shared this statement:

“This week, a concerned parent posted to social media a video of a Concord Police cruiser illegally passing a stopped school bus. Parents of the child on that bus, as well as many in our community, were angry about what they saw. As a parent whose children rode the school bus for many years, I completely understand that anger. This officer, Matthew Willet, did the wrong thing.

The State Highway Patrol is the agency with jurisdiction where this occurred. We immediately gave them all the information they requested so they could investigate the officer’s actions. They ticketed and charged Matt for passing a stopped school bus, a class 1 misdemeanor in North Carolina. He’ll have to appear in court, just like anyone else who’s cited for the same violation.

But Concord police officers are held to higher standards. After completing an internal personnel investigation, I’ve decided to suspend Matt without pay for five days.”

Chief Gacek went on to explain that Willet accepted full responsibility and regretted his mistake. Investigators found that Willet was behind another car, then pulled into a turn lane and turned right into a neighborhood. According to the department, Willet didn’t see the flashing lights and didn’t know a child was about to be dropped off.

Many on social media were outraged at the incident and were calling on Gacek to fire Willet. In his statement, the chief acknowledged the error as a serious mistake but not enough to fire him.

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