Cary parent Derry Schmidt has returned to work as an engineer with the state Department of Transportation. As you may recall, Schmidt made headlines in 2007 after a heated confrontation between him and Wake schools' bus driver Jametta Farrar when he was dropping his daughter off at school at Cary Elementary.

According to testimony in January, Farrar said she was verbally and physically abused by Schmidt. Schmidt was convicted of one misdemeanor count of assault on a female. During his testimony, he admitted he uttered a racial slur as he was trying to defend himself from arrar's aggressive behavior.

As noted in today's online story, Schmidt had challenged his firing with the state Office of Administrative Hearings. He dropped his appeal after reaching a settlement with DOT.

"The settlement terms are confidential, but he has returned to work in the position he held before he was dismissed," Campion said.