Libby man arrested with knife on school bus

A 57-year-old Libby man was arrested Friday following an incident in which he allegedly boarded a school bus brandishing a knife because he felt the driver was going too fast.

Duane Richard Tholen was arrested by Deputy John Davis of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon. He is being held in the Lincoln County jail on $100,000 bond.

The affidavit of probable cause indicates a school bus driver was on her route near Terrace View Drive in Libby when a man, unknown to her but later identified as Tholen, waved her down.

The driver stopped the bus and opened the door when the man stepped one foot onto the bus and began waving a knife around, angrily complaining that the bus was moving too fast.

The driver reported the man was screaming at her and waving the knife within 12 inches of her face. She said she was very scared of the man, especially as there were still five children on the bus that had yet to be dropped at their stops.

The driver’s adult aide also witnessed the incident and reported the school children were “freaked out” by the actions of Tholen.

Both witnesses provided Deputy Davis with detailed descriptions of the man and the knife, as well as the address on Terrace View Road where the incident occurred.

Davis, along with Deputy Boyd White, went to the given address, where Tholen, who matched the witnesses’ description, answered the door. Tholen said he had complained about the bus driver and admitted to waving down and confronting her, but denied stepping foot on the bus.

Tholen also admitted to having a knife, but initially denied taking the knife onto the bus. He later indicated he couldn’t remember if he did so or not. At the request of investigators, he produced the knife, which matched the description provided by the witnesses.

Tholen was arrested without incident and transported to the Lincoln County jail.