Drunk Bus Driver In Darien Screamed During Arrest: Cops

DARIEN, IL – A drunk woman driving a bus told Darien officers she owned it and that it was her only mode of transportation, police said.

In fact, it is registered to Downers Grove-based Sunrise Southwest, a school bus company, according to a police report obtained through a public records request.

The 26-year-old Bolingbrook woman was charged with DUI.

No children were on the bus. Sunrise provides bus service for Darien-based Cass School District 63. On Monday, the district's superintendent, Travis McGuire, said the woman has not driven any of its routes.

About 9 pm. Sept. 3, a caller told police about a reckless school bus driver who pulled over on Knottingham Lane, south of Plainfield Road, the report said.

The woman, who was in the still-running bus, was reported to have bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

She appeared irritated to have to provide her driver's license and proof of insurance, police said. When asked whether she had been drinking, she denied it repeatedly, according to the report.

During sobriety tests, the woman, with her fists clenched, twice told an officer, "You're pissing me off," according to the report. Then she was quoted as saying, "If you want to take me, take me."

A friend arrived to calm the woman, who was screaming, police said.

Told that she smelled of alcohol, the woman finally admitted she had drunk a little bit, according to the report.

The woman's blood alcohol level was reported at .09, just above the state's limit.

Darien police informed Sunrise that the bus was available for pickup.

Patch left a message for comment Monday with Sunrise.