Utica Schools bus driver charged in alleged drunk crash with students on board
Nichole Michelle Dillard
FOX 2 - A Utica Schools bus driver was charged with 16 counts of operating while intoxicated, passengers under 16.
Nichole Michelle Dillard is accused of crashing her school bus while allegedly drunk, with students from Henry Ford II High School into a pole at the corner of Schoenherr and Hall Road in Sterling Heights on Dec. 14.
Dillard's bond was set at $50,000/ 10 percent after she was arraigned Tuesday.
Police said at the time that when they found the driver they could smell alcohol. During a breathalyzer test, she blew a .10 well over the legal limit.
Investigators said at first it didn't appear as though anyone was injured. But during follow-up interviews with the students on board, injury claims were made.
"They have no business being on that bus let alone driving that bus with our kids on it," said Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said last week.
The superintendent of Utica Schools issued a statement last week saying the Dillard would no longer operate a bus in the district and there will be a thorough investigation.