DUDLEY — A school bus driver whose bus crashed with 11 students on board was released on personal recognizance Friday after being arraigned on drunken driving and other charges.
Scott M. Poirier, 42, was driving a First Student bus carrying the Shepherd Hill Regional High School and Dudley Middle School students Thursday when it struck a utility pole on Hayden Pond Road in Dudley. No students were hurt.
Poirier was arraigned in Dudley District Court on charges of drunken driving, negligent driving, and eight counts of child endangerment while under the influence of alcohol.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Luzzo said the driver was taking the students home from school when he realized he missed a stop.
He said Poirier then backed the bus up, striking the pole and snapping it. The pole fell on a parked car with the wires resting on the top of the bus.
According to police reports, one of the students told police that they were shouting for Poirier to stop before the accident because they could see the bus was heading toward the pole.
Luzzo said that when police arrived, Poirier was seen slipping and falling down the bus steps. He then got up and made his way back up the steps.
After police checked on the students, eight of whom were under age 14, they interviewed Poirier and administered a field sobriety test, which he allegedly had difficulty with. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.157, investigators said.
When asked if he had been drinking, Poirier denied it, Luzzo said. Poirier said he had taken doses of cold medications Nyquil and Dayquil earlier in the day. He was offered a chance to provide a chemical breath sample, but refused, officials said.
In court Friday morning, not-guilty pleas were entered on all charges.
Poirier was then released on his own recognizance and ordered to wear a monitoring bracelet.
Other conditions of his release included that he have no contact with children other than his own, not operate a motor vehicle, remain alcohol free, and submit to random alcohol screenings.
Gregg J. Desto, superintendent of schools for the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District, said in a statement Friday that the bus company, First Student, has the bus services contract with the district.
He said the company takes student safety very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for such situations.
“We have been in close contact with First Student since the accident,” Desto said. “A full review is underway, along with appropriate disciplinary action.”
Desto said the district and the bus company are also reviewing policies and procedures.
He said a new driver has been assigned to the bus Poirier had been driving for all high school, middle school, and elementary routes, and all parents of students assigned to the bus have been notified in writing.