LAKE STEVENS — A Lake Stevens man forced his way onto a school bus this morning, scaring students and allegedly stealing a couple of the children’s backpacks, police said.

The man, who is in his 30s, barged onto the bus at about 8:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of 97th Drive SE, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

He was arrested about a half hour later and was expected to be jailed for investigation of robbery and kidnapping for delaying the bus, Hover said. No one was harmed.

The children were back in class by late morning, Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman Arlene Hulten said.

“It’s a scary situation and we’re relieved that all the children are safe at school,” Hulten said.

The bus had 38 kindergarten through fifth-grade students aboard, she said. They were met at school by counselors.

The man told the people on the bus that he believed there were drugs in the backpacks, Hover said.

There were no drugs in the stolen belongings, Hulten said.

A letter was to be sent home to school district parents tonight, she said.

Lake Stevens school district buses are equipped with two-way radios and some have security cameras, Hulten said.

This is the first time in recent memory anything like this has happened.

“This one is a little bit odd,” she said. “I’ve never had a person force his way onto a school bus.”

Herald reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.