Driver Of School Bus Loaded With Kids Charged With DUI
From the archive: published Jun 24, 2015, 11 years ago. Details may have changed since.
A Virginia school bus driver faces a charge of allegedly driving under the influence of drugs.
After receiving at least one 911 call from a concerned citizen about alleged reckless driving, Virginia Beach police pulled over the bus driver Monday afternoon who was transporting kids from the private Norfolk Academy.
According to WTKR , Norfolk’s News Channel 3, police administered field sobriety testing to the driver, a 60-year-old woman, and she was subsequently transported from the scene in an ambulance.
“She was falling over, and she wasn’t counting right either, she was like one three seven four, all over,” one bystander told 13 News Now of Norfolk. “You’re putting all these kids at risk, just swerving and all this stuff. It could have easily (been an) accident,” the witness added.
Multiple news outlets identified the suspect as Dorothy L. Youngs.
At the time, the reportedly packed bus was carrying children who ranged in age from 5 to 12. Fortunately, no motor vehicle accident occurred, and no one was harmed. Parenthetically, the traffic stop occurred at Shore Drive and Urchin Road.
Norfolk Academy released the following statement about the episode.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident. We are thankful that no one was seriously injured. The safety of children—every camper, every student—is always our top priority. We have contracted with Tranquest, a private bus company, for many years; we have been assured that the company is investigating this incident, thoroughly reviewing its policies, and taking responsible action in keeping with our school’s concerns. We have spoken with the bus company several times today, and we will continue to stay in close contact with the bus company in the days ahead. To our knowledge, the driver in this incident has been driving for more than a decade without any similar prior incident. Again, we remain committed to providing the safest experience for children at Norfolk Academy Summer Programs.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abv7LfoM0Nw
Last month, a suburban New York school bus driver who allegedly was driving drunk with 35 high school students on board crashed into a telephone poll. Some of the kids suffered minor injuries. Last August, a Connecticut school bus driver transporting 20 kids was busted for DUI after police observed her operating the vehicle erratically.