Fla. dad sorry for storming school bus, threats

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A father tearfully apologized yesterday for acting like a bully himself when he stormed onto a school bus to confront students he believed were harassing his 13-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

James Willie Jones is seen angrily gesturing and yelling at students and the bus driver on video taken by an onboard camera. The images drew thousands of views on YouTube and sparked numerous comments on social media sites, many of them supportive.

A day after saying he was sorry in a written statement, Jones held an emotional news conference in which his voice cracked as he said no parent should copy his behavior.

"At that time, I was a bully. And I apologize again for that," he said. "If you see the tape, I feel like I was backed up against the wall as a parent. I just didn't know where else to go. We definitely don't want to promote that. We don't want vigilantes going on buses, threatening kids, because kids have rights too."

Jones was charged last week with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function for the Sept. 3 tirade in Sanford, north of Orlando. He posted $2,000 bail and was ordered to stay away from county school buses.

His attorney, Deianna Brown, said she is hoping to get the charges dropped, and she's offered to have her client give speeches against bullying as community service.

Jones, 42, had apologized for his behavior in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, saying he "could not stand by and helplessly watch [his daughter] suffer." He said yesterday she will not return to the middle school.

Jones' wife, Deborah McFadden-Jones, said they noticed a change in their daughter's behavior since school began this year. McFadden-Jones said at the news conference that their daughter's condition isn't noticeable, and she was bullied for standing up for another girl. James Jones said Tuesday she has been teased, spit on, poked and pushed - and that she had an emotional breakdown after describing the harassment.