Elementary School Bus Driver Accused Of Being Drunk On Duty
WHEATON (CBS) -- A northwest suburban elementary school bus driver charged with driving under the influence while on duty is behind bars Friday on a $100,000 bond.
Jill Beebe, 42, of the 600 block of Sunbury Road in South Elgin appeared before Judge Terence Sheen on a charge of aggravated DUI, a statement from the DuPage County State's Attorney's office said.
After getting her bus in St. Charles on Friday morning, Beebe began her work day picking up and dropping off elementary students along a route in West Chicago, prosecutors said.
While dropping off students at a school, an employee of the school went to the bus to discuss an unrelated matter and thought she smelled alcohol on Beebe as they spoke, according to prosecutors.
The worker told the principal, who notified the bus company, which advised Beebe to stop operating the bus. At the next stop, West Chicago police administered field sobriety tests and took Beebe into custody, according to prosecutors.
She drove for the Illinois Central School Bus Co. in St. Charles. A manager there says Beebe was hired recently and passed a background check.
"That's really scary. We trust these people to drive our kids and be totally safe," parent Shelley Serato tells CBS 2's Mike Parker.
Beebe could face up to three years in prison if convicted of the Class 4 felony.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire (Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
