(WBIR - Knoxville) The driver of a Knox County school bus was exchanging text messages with a prostitute moments before causing the deadly crash in December 2014 that killed three people.
Lacey Victoria Easterly, 25, is currently listed as an inmate at the Knox County detention facility for violating probation after being charged with prostitution in May. Easterly is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
Newly released phone records for James Davenport, who died earlier this month, show several text messages throughout the day of the crash and during his route to someone whose name is saved as "Lacey."
An internet search for the phone number listed for Lacey reveals several online advertisements for an escort with accompanying photos of Lacey Easterly. The photos on the adult websites match photographs posted to Lacey Easterly's Facebook page, which subsequently match the photograph and description of inmate Lacey Easterly. Easterly is also listed as a Facebook friend of James Davenport.
In text messages with Davenport, Easterly uses an abbreviation to reference one of the escort websites that match the phone number for "Lacey." She texted to Davenport, "this guy found me [on the escort website] felt sorry 4 me and said he wants to start helping me and be my sugar daddy." Easterly also referenced how she "posted an ad and I may have a call or two to go to."
Texts with Davenport throughout the day of the crash include an argument about whether the school bus driver would be able to take Easterly to court the following day for a crime she expects to result in jail-time.
During the spat, Easterly texted Davenport that a friend stated he was unreliable and "she said you'd let me down and not even worry about taking me [to court]."
Texts earlier in the day from Easterly indicate she was using drugs in a motel room and believed she had overdosed. She then writes that she hit her "forehead into the TV stand and it woke me up because I started foaming out of my mouth."
An investigation by Knoxville police into the cause of the deadly bus crash blamed Davenport for sending and receiving multiple text messages while behind the wheel of a loaded school bus. Davenport died earlier this month. His autopsy report has not been released.
The violent collision on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2014, flipped Bus No. 57 from Sunnyview Primary School on its side. The impact killed six-year-old student Zykia Burns, seven-year-old student Seraya Glasper, and 46-year-old teacher's aide Kimberly Riddle. All three were dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene.
The Knoxville Police Department considers this an open investigation.
