A school bus driver faces DUI and other charges after police say she drove the vehicle into oncoming traffic, swerved between lanes and rolled through at least one stop sign while shuttling student-athletes late last month to Bethel Park High School.
Police said Jeanne Bennett, 68, of Bethel Park had “glassy and watery” eyes, “appeared lethargic and confused,” and was slurring her speech when an officer was dispatched to the South Hills high school around 9:50 p.m. on April 24.
Bennett had just driven 20 Bethel Park High School student-athletes from the boys’ volleyball team — 17 of them juveniles — and their coach to Bethel Park from South Park High School, according to a criminal complaint.
The five-mile route took Bennett 35 minutes to complete.
A motorist, who police did not name, called 911 while following the bus and described its driver’s “erratic” behavior, the complaint said.
“The bus is all over the road,” the caller told dispatchers, according to the complaint. The bus was “stopping and slowing then accelerating again.”
Police charged Bennett on Friday with 52 counts, which included 17 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, 21 counts of recklessly endangering another person and multiple summons such as careless driving and reckless driving.
She is free on $100,000 unsecured bail.
Attorney Samir Sarna, who represents Bennett, did not return a phone call Monday seeking comment.
A man answering a phone linked to Bennett hung up on a TribLive reporter.
The school district said Bennett, an employee, is no longer transporting its students.
“Law enforcement removed the driver from service at the scene,” according to a statement from Jim Cromie, a district spokesman. “The district contacted affected families immediately upon learning of the situation and has remained in communication with them since.”
Cromie confirmed Bennett is a member of the union representing the district’s transportation staff, District Council 84 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Cromie declined further comment.
AFSCME officials did not respond Monday to phone calls or emails seeking comment.
‘Deep breath’
Bennett initially had difficulty starting the bus at South Park High School, the complaint said. When she did, according to investigators, her driving put those aboard on edge over the next half-hour.
“Deep breath, deep breath,” one student said to his peers when the bus neared a roundabout, according to surveillance footage cited in the complaint.
The coach, who police did not name, voiced concerns about Bennett’s ability to drive, the complaint said. Police said he gave her directions and at one point asked her to stop the bus and pull into a police station.
She did not.
When Bennett approached one stop sign, she “rolled” through it and stopped in the middle of the intersection, the complaint said.
Students “appeared relieved to be off the bus” when they arrived at the Church Road high school, according to the complaint.
Bennett had difficulty answering a police officer’s questions, the complaint said. A breathalyzer test indicated she had consumed alcohol, police said. She refused a blood draw at St. Clair Hospital.
While at the hospital, Bennett “admitted to drinking earlier,” the complaint said.
The driver also told police that “she feels like she has bugs crawling in her skin and she drinks to self-medicate,” the complaint said. “She stated she knows she should not be driving a bus anymore but stated they need drivers.”
The name of Bennett’s employer was not listed in the complaint.
Police said they later found an empty water bottle, its lid marked with the initials J.B., that smelled like alcohol.
Bennett also was not wearing a seat belt while driving the bus, according to surveillance footage and witness statements cited in the complaint.