An Alabama bus driver has been accused of driving drunk with a bus full of students on board, police told multiple news outlets. James Chaney, 46, was arrested Oct. 17 and charged with driving under the influence and reckless endangerment, the South Alabamian reported, citing Jackson Police Chief Jerry Taylor. Authorities said Chaney's blood alcohol level was more than 16 times the state’s legal limit.
Around 4:20 p.m., a police officer stopped the bus at the end of its route as it returned to Jackson Middle School in Clarke County, according to WKRG. Police said someone called to report a suspected drunk driver, the South Alabamian reported.
Chaney, a “transportation mechanic” for the district, agreed to a field sobriety test — and failed, police told WALA. He was subbing as a bus driver that afternoon.
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'The test result showed Chaney’s blood alcohol level to be .33,' Taylor told WKRG.
“The legal limit in Alabama for a person operating a commercial vehicle, or bus, in Alabama is .02,” he added.
To reach a blood alcohol level of .30, a person would have to consume at least six to seven alcoholic drinks in an hour, though this measure changes based on one’s weight and gender, according to Notre Dame College.
That level of drunkenness can land you in a stupor-like state, health experts said. “You have little comprehension of where you are. You may suddenly pass out at this point and be difficult to awaken,” Notre Dame College noted.
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Police said all the students had been dropped off by the time Chaney was stopped.
It’s not clear how many children were on his route that day. A Clarke County School Board member told WALA the mechanic has since been fired.
“Naturally driving under the influence of alcohol anytime is an egregious violation due to the number of injuries and deaths accidents cause,” Taylor told the news outlet. “But especially when you’re operating a school bus filled with school children under the influence of alcohol …"
'In my opinion that just takes it to the next level,' he said.
McClatchy News reached out to Jackson police and Clarke County Schools for comment October 25 but hasn’t heard back.
Clarke County is about 70 miles northeast of Mobile.
-by Tanasia Kenney
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