A 48-year-old man from West Monroe, New York is under arrest after a school official acted on a hunch that a bus driver was drunk on the job.

New York State Police say they were contacted earlier today, January 18, 2022, by Central Square School District Superintendent Thomas J. Colabufo after a bus driver who had submitted to a random drug and alcohol screening was allegedly found to have a BAC of .09% according to one test.  Random drug and alcohol screening is permitted as part of the union's contract with the school district.

The Central Square School District, located in Oswego County, is the largest school district by land size in the state of New York.

Central Square School District Logo and Motto, Central Square School District (cssd.org)
Central Square School District Logo and Motto, Central Square School District (cssd.org)
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Following the test the school administration contacted State Police.  The bus driver, identified as David E. Wines, was then tested again by police.  Police determined that his BAC was .04%.

Wines was arrested and charged with the following:

  • Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (Class E felony)
  • DWI While Operating a School Bus (Class E felony)
  • Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Class A misdemeanor)

The NYSP says that "Wines is charged with transporting 55 school-age children while intoxicated, 47 of them were (age) 15 years and younger. He was processed and transported to the Oswego County Public Safety Building for Centralized Arraignment Court."

In a written release the NYSP extended its gratitude to the Central Square School District Superintendent and administrative staff "for their cooperation and assistance with this investigation."

No injuries or other incident related to the charges were reported.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the New York State Police.  The reader is reminded that all arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.  At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]

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