Columbus School-Bus Driver Facing Drunken-Driving Charges Quits Job

Posted on December 20, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Yesterday, the Columbus school-bus driver facing driving under the influence charges resigned from her job before the hearing to determine whether she’d be fired.

On 25th of November, 51-year-old Tia Denton was pulled over by the Columbus police after an erratic afternoon bus route that children explained as frightening. She told the police officers that she completed her morning bus route, purchased a bottle of whiskey at Kroger and then went home and consumed two beers and a “tall cup” of whiskey.

According to the police, she had a bottle of Canadian Mist on the bus when she was stopped. A 9-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy were travelling in the bus.

She has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, endangering children and having an open container of alcohol on the bus. All the charges are misdemeanors.

At the request of Eric Nordman who is her lawyer, the case has been continued. He didn’t return calls from The Dispatch.

In Denton’s resignation letter, she didn’t state the reason for resigning from the job of school bus driver.

If she is convicted in the driving under the influence charge, then she would not be eligible to drive a school bus in Ohio. Any person with a drunken-driving conviction in the past 6 years is disqualified.

Another traffic case against Denton which is also in Franklin County Municipal Court, has been reopened. She was charged with driving with an expired license in 2007 and the case was dismissed, pending court fees which Denton had to pay. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Denton. According to the Assistant City Attorney Robert Levering, the judge in that case has set aside the warrant, opened the case again and scheduled it for trial in January 2014.

News Source: www.Dispatch.com