Bus driver had blood alcohol of .15%

On May 8, 2009 the New York State Police in Amity arrested Martha A. Thompson age 55 of Maple Ridge Almond, NY, for Driving While Intoxicated, 15 counts each of Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree. Charges resulted from an incident where the defendant was operating an Alfred-Almond Central School bus on South Road in the Town of West Almond

The students on the bus ranged in age from 5 to 15. Some of the students observed the bus driver driving erratically and when the bus stopped on South Road some of the older students opened the back emergency door and began exiting the bus. A witness observed the students exiting the bus and gathered the students at the scene. She believed that they bus driver was impaired and called the police.

The bus was subsequently stopped by Alfred PD and the bus driver was taken into custody and taken to St. James Mercy Hospital where she submitted to a blood screening. Ms. Thompson was then turned over to State Police. Some students were picked up by parents at the scene, and another bus was sent out. The defendant was arraigned in the Town of West Almond and released on her own recognizance.

The blood test results determined that Ms. Thompson’s BAC was .15%.