Drug and gun charges have been dropped against Tonda Pittman, a 51-year-old Landrum resident who worked as a special needs school bus driver in Spartanburg County.

Pittman lost her job five months ago when police stopped her truck and found a pistol, cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs that Pittman has said were planted there as part of what she believes was an attempt to ruin her.

Pittman said she started receiving threatening letters and voice messages in January, a month before police found a significant amount of drugs near the spare tire of her new 2010 Ford Ranger.

After her arrest, Pittman began trying to clear her name. She took polygraph and drug tests, and provided documents proving someone had planted the drugs.

Spartanburg attorney George Brandt, who has known Pittman for 10 years, said he gladly took her case because he knew she was not guilty of the charges.

Brandt and Pittman submitted tapes of voice messages and bank documents to officers, who began sorting out the circumstances.

Brandt praised the Landrum Police Department, Spartanburg Sheriff’s Maj. Dan Johnson and Detective David Taylor, and the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for their tenacity in the case.

The harassment, threats and false report made against Pittman are still under investigation, Spartanburg sheriff’s officials said.