School bus driver drove drunk with 55 children onboard, New York police say

A school bus driver is accused of driving drunk while dozens of children were aboard his vehicle, police in New York said.

David E. Wines, of West Monroe, had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .09% during a random drug and alcohol screening by the Central Square School District after transporting students on Jan. 18, New York State Police said in a news release . West Monroe is located upstate and 90 miles east of Rochester.

Of the 55 children on the bus, 47 were 15 years old or younger, police said.

Wines, 48, is charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, DWI while operating a school bus and endangering the welfare of a child.

A person is considered intoxicated in New York with a BAC of .08 or more, while a person is considered legally impaired with a BAC of more than .05.

State police were called by the superintendent of the school district after they found Wines had a .09% BAC, they said. Wines’ BAC when later tested by authorities was .04%, according to police.

Wines was due in court for an arraignment, the news release said.

He’s on administrative leave and an investigation is underway, the school district’s superintendent Tom Colabufo told CNY.

This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 6:33 AM with the headline "School bus driver drove drunk with 55 children onboard, New York police say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.