A school bus driver in Polk County, Wisconsin, who was about to drive a middle school team to a game on Tuesday was arrested on charges of drunk driving.
A witness to Marek leaving a tavern and getting onto the school bus, driving away and hitting a curb as he drove off called the sheriff’s office to report Marek looking like he was intoxicated.
When deputies arrived they found Marek asleep in the driver’s seat. Although he denied drinking alcohol, the deputy states in his report he detected the odor. He was taken to the Polk County jail where it was determined he had a blood alcohol level of 0.08. For more on this story, click here.
It isn’t just alcohol related incidences either, and it happens more often than we might think.
Recently a grand jury indicted school bus driver Kathy Legrand from Travis County, Texas after she was found guilty of being under the influence while taking children home from school.
Reports say parents noticed Legrand driving erratically, colliding with a tree and a mailbox while driving the bus. At least 20 to 30 children from kindergarten to fifth grade where in it.
After her arrest, Legrand admitted to having used pain medication, sleep aids, and Xanax before driving the bus. She faces up to two years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines. School officials state Legrand was fired the day after she was arrested. For more on this story, click here.
And in one incident earlier this year, school bus driver Martha Thompson from Allegany County, New York was charged with 37 counts of reckless endangerment. Thompson was operating the bus with a .15 BAC, nearly twice the legal limit. It was found that Thompson reached speeds of up to 70 miles per hour and hit a mail box.
A video from the school bus camera shows the children pleading with Thompson to stop the bus after she missed a turn and began to drive the bus in reverse, almost driving into a ditch. In watching the video, you can sense the unrest on the bus immediately, and it’s not long before the children make their stand.
Thompson received 90 days in jail, 6 moths of home monitoring and 5 years probation. Parents believe this punishment does not fit the crime. For more on this story, click here.
The exclusive purpose of this article is educational and it is not intended as either legal advice or a general solution to any specific legal problem. Corporate offices for Nave DWI Defense Attorneys are located at 432 N. Franklin Street, Suite 80, Syracuse, NY 13204; Telephone No.: 1-866-792-7800. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
