Wed, 08/05/2026 - 10:47pm

Sarah Shepherd

Emergency vehicles keep a scene secure while State Police reconstructionists assess and take measurements. (File photo and caption by Sarah Thompson)

UPDATED (Aug. 6): Attorney Stephen C. Smith, who is representing the parents of Brayden Callahan issued a statement on Aug. 5 regarding the proposed plea agreement reached with the defense and state. The parents, Kelley Morse and Shane Callahan, have filed a notice of intent to sue both RSU 13 and bus driver Jeffrey Colburn.

“Brayden was a beloved twelve-year-old child. His death has forever changed his family, and no legal proceeding can undo that loss,” said Stephen C. Smith of Steve Smith Trial Lawyers, counsel for Kelley Morse and Shane Callahan. “They are not without sympathy for Mr. Colburn and the profound consequences he will carry. But their primary concern is that RSU 13, the institution entrusted with protecting children on its buses, be held fully accountable for the safety systems, training, supervision, and decisions that failed Brayden.”

“This tragedy was not simply a moment on a roadway; it occurred within a school transportation system for which RSU 13 was responsible,” Smith said. “The District was entrusted with the safety of children it transported. We will continue to pursue all available civil remedies on Brayden’s parents’ behalf and demand answers about RSU 13’s hiring and retention practices, driver training, supervision, bus-safety procedures, and every institutional decision that may have contributed to this preventable loss.”

In the release, Smith also said the family asks the public and the media to respect their privacy as they continue grieving Brayden and evaluate the reported criminal resolution.

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ROCKLAND – The driver of a school bus who was charged with manslaughter after the bus struck and killed 12-year-old Brayden Callahan on Nov. 21, 2025, will not serve any jail time.

A Knox County grand jury indicted Jeffrey Colburn, the bus driver, for manslaughter on Jan. 15, 2026. He pleaded not guilty to the criminal charge.

On Monday, Aug. 3, a judicial settlement conference was held in Knox County Court for Colburn, 65, of Camden. A hearing for a misdemeanor plea hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 11, according to the court document. The manslaughter charge against Colburn will be dropped and he will be charged with a civil violation.

Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll said on Aug. 5 that he believed that the original criminal charges against Colburn were justified.

Carroll issued the following statement on the Rockland Police Department’s Facebook page.

“The Rockland Police Department has been notified by prosecuting authorities at the Knox County District Attorney's Office that the investigation into the tragic RSU #13 school bus crash, which resulted in the heartbreaking death of 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, will not result in criminal charges. Instead, the matter will proceed as a civil violation, which carry no possibility of jail time.

Following this tragedy, I asked our community for patience as our detectives began a meticulous and exhaustive investigation. I believe the members of the Rockland Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) delivered on that expectation. Our detectives spent weeks following every piece of evidence, building a thorough and detail timeline of events, to ensure the District Attorney’s Office (DA) had complete, accurate information to seek justice.

Our investigators gathered and presented evidence that we believe demonstrated criminal gross negligence. However, following extensive legal evaluation, prosecutors at the Knox County District Attorney's Office determined, in their opinion, there was insufficient evidence to prove criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial and continue with the criminal case.

With over 30 years in law enforcement, I understand the high burden of proof required to build a courtroom case and the immense emotional strain a trial places on witnesses—especially the many children and young people who would have had to relive this trauma on the stand. I certainly wish no further harm to anyone impacted by this tragedy and understand speaking to the DA that the family was part of this decision process.

However, given the thoroughness of our investigation, the findings of that investigation and the weight of what occurred, I personally believe that criminal charges were justified. Any questions on this charging decision, which rests solely with Knox County District Attorney’s Office, should be referred to them.

Our thoughts remain with Brayden’s family, his friends, and everyone in our community affected by this unthinkable loss."

Attorneys Jeremy Pratt of Camden and Caitlyn Smith of Bangor were appointed by the court earlier this year to represent Colburn. Public Defender Services has approved funds for the representation. Colburn discharged his first lawyer, Jonathan Goodman of Portland, earlier this year.