The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A school bus driver in Florida has been accused of having four times over the legal BAC while he drove an afternoon route carrying 40 middle school student passengers.
60-year-old Mark McNeil lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. He is employed as a bus driver for the Flagler County School District.
On the afternoon of February 9, McNeil went to work to pick up a bus for the afternoon run at Buddy Taylor Middle School.
The man reportedly drove out of the yard with the wrong bus and collected approximately 40 students from the school.
One of his coworkers believed McNeil smelled as if he had been drinking, and they let one of the supervisors know.
McNeil began to drive the students to their homes.
The school tried to hail him down by radio, but the man allegedly ignored their attempts and would not answer them.
The driver reportedly took the students to their designated stops along the route, and he eventually used his radio to let the officials know that he was experiencing a medical emergency.
McNeil was intercepted by a district supervisor that traced his afternoon route. When the man climbed down the steps to get out of the bus, he reportedly dropped onto the ground and said he was unable to breathe.
An emergency crew with the Flagler County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene, and they took McNeil to AdventHealth Palm Coast for treatment.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was notified about the situation, and deputies went to the medical center.
It was reported that when the deputies arrived, McNeil was trying to leave the hospital, and he allegedly resisted when they tried to interact with him.
McNeil was apprehended and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. His BAC was reported as being .32 and .31. He is facing charges of DUI with passengers under 18, resisting an officer without violence, and child neglect. He was released on bond the following afternoon.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.