A Baltimore bus driver with a criminal record that includes charges for assault, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident was arrested for a DUI on Friday as she was headed to pick up a group of students for a field trip.
Pamela L. Willie, 52, was pulled over after several motorists notified Maryland State Police that an orange school bus was driving erratically on Interstate 695 and running other vehicles off the road.
During the stop, police observed that Willie was impaired and found four containers of beer and liquor — varying from full, to partially full, to empty — on the bus, according to Baltimore’s NBC affiliate.
Willie was arrested and slapped with 23 criminal charges, including driving under the influence, operating a commercial vehicle in possession of alcohol, consuming alcohol in the passenger area of a vehicle, driving a commercial vehicle without an appropriate medical certificate, negligent and reckless driving, and driving off the highway.
Though Willie was the only person on the bus at the time, that was set to change as she was headed to a private school in Montgomery County, Md. to transport a group of students to Washington D.C. for a field trip.
The owner of the bus, a company called Mr. Tim’s Bus Rides out of Owings Mills, Md., was notified of the incident and arrived to take the bus.
Willie was taken to jail and later released to a sober driver, according to news reports.
It is unclear how Willie got the job as a bus driver — especially one given the task of driving kids.
Because besides her run-in with the law on Friday, Willie has been arrested multiple times on a slew of charges.
Records show that in Aug. 2009, Willie was arrested on a string of charges including consumption of an alcoholic beverage while driving on the highway, failure to control a vehicle on the highway to avoid a collision, reckless driving, failure to remain at the scene of an accident, assault in the first degree, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In July 2009, Willie was charged on several counts, including assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, possession of drug paraphernalia, violation of a protective order, and the malicious destruction of property.
Her record shows another charge for violation of a protective order, this one from Oct. 2003.
And in Feb. 2003, Willie was sentenced to one year in jail on charges of assault in the first degree and resisting arrest. She took a plea deal and avoided jail time.
The Daily Caller’s email request for comment from Mr. Tim’s Bus Rides seeking information on Willie’s employment was not immediately returned.