She’s getting detention for this.
A former New Jersey school bus driver was hit with a 14-year prison sentence for driving drunk with a busload of students – with a blood-alcohol level eight times over the legal limit.
Colleen Eutermarks, 52, was convicted on 27 counts of child endangerment after state police spotted her driving the bus erratically – and later blew 0.34 on a breathalyzer, multiple times higher than the state limit of 0.04 for bus and commercial vehicle drivers, the Bergen Record said in a report.
Police said Eutermarks, who was driving kids from Wallkill Valley Regional High School and Franklyn Elementary School, had a half-filled bottle of vodka in her purse when she was busted, the outlet said.
“The sentence of the court clearly held Ms. Eutermarks accountable for her terrible decision making,” acting Sussex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said in a statement Tuesday.
“It also sent a strong message that there are serious criminal consequences of operating a school bus while under the influence, which are far beyond the consequences of a driving while intoxicated charge.”
Eutermarks was arrested on Jan. 28, 2022 while transporting the students on Route 565 in Frankford.
She was found guilty after a two-week trial in October and sentenced Tuesday.
The Sussex County Prosector’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
