Bus Driver Accused of Drunk Driving (with autistic student on the bus)

The driver of a bus for special needs children in central Massachusetts was found with an open pint bottle of rum in her purse that was at least half consumed, as reported in the November 13th CBS4Boston.com news. 38-year-old Cynthia Lea allegedly drank the alcohol while driving a nine-year-old autistic girl home; a bottle of Coke was also found on the bus.

The girl’s mother, Cynthia McCollough, called Lea on her cell phone after her daughter was twenty minutes late to be dropped off. When the bus arrived at 4pm, McCollough confronted Lea, who backed up the bus into a fence and drove off. At that point, McCollough’s husband came home from work and pursued the bus, which was speeding and weaving, according to FreeRepublic.com. Lea was stopped at the bus company, Village Transportation of Sterling.

Sterling police said after they stopped Cynthia Lea, she refused to take a field sobriety test and registered a blood alcohol level of 0.24, three times the legal limit.

“She just said, ‘I’m so drunk I can’t do it,’ ” said the arresting officer, Craig Pomeroy. “She said, ‘Just arrest me.’ She started laughing.”

All I can say is, Not Good. What is the hiring process at this and any bus company?

An article in the November 15th Worcester Telegram & Gazette notes that Lea had obtained her state credential (Massachusetts) for driving a school bus a week before her arrest.