The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
After the authorities retrieved a passenger locked inside the luggage storage bin underneath a Peter Pan Bus Lines vessel the driver was arrested and accused of causing the alleged catastrophe.
On Sunday, a Peter Pan Bus was carrying passengers on a route that departed from New York with an end destination of Boston, Massachusetts.
In the middle of the afternoon, some of the passengers reportedly heard banging noises that sounded as if they were coming from under the vehicle, which was making its way through Connecticut and very close to the border of Massachusetts.
The State Police were contacted by 911 after they received a call from a woman who said she was a passenger onboard the Peter Pan Bus and she had been locked inside of the luggage compartment by the driver.
The authorities used technology to ping the cell phone of the caller so they could find the closest cell tower in proximity to the alleged victim when she placed the call, and find the location of the bus.
The police spotted the vehicle in Union, Connecticut, and performed a traffic stop to investigate the luggage containers in an effort to assist the woman who called for help.
It was reported by a passenger that the alleged victim tumbled out of the bin when it was opened.
The person operating the bus when the woman was trapped inside the container, Wendy Helena Alberty, was still in the vehicle but she was no longer driving. When the bus stopped in Hartford the drivers changed shifts and Alberty stayed on as a passenger.
Alberty, who lives in Brooklyn, NY, has worked for Peter Pan Bus Lines for approximately seven years, and the company reported that she has been “an exemplary employee.”
The officers took Alberty into custody based on allegations that she purposely left the woman trapped in the luggage container, but no motive for her purported actions has currently been disclosed.
The 49-year-old woman is facing charges for first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree breach of peace, and second-degree reckless endangerment. After paying $2000 bail Alberty was released from custody and she is scheduled to appear in court regarding the charges in two weeks.
Peter Pan stated that Alberty has been placed on “investigative suspension” from her job due to the allegations.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.