RTD Bus Driver Accused Of DUI Formally Charged
DENVER (AP) - A Denver-area bus driver accused of driving his route while drunk has been formally charged.
Lynn Kimbrough with the district attorney's office said Darren Pettee, 49, was charged Tuesday with endangering public transportation, DUI – third offense, and DUI per se – third offense.
Pettee, a contract driver for the Regional Transportation District, was arrested Sept. 1, Labor Day, after a passenger reported that he ran a stop sign and was driving recklessly.
He was re-arrested last Friday after Denver prosecutors said they would file a felony charge of endangering public transportation rather than just a misdemeanor DUI charge. They allege that Pettee has had at least two prior DUI offenses.
Court documents say his blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit when he was arrested. He allegedly told authorities that he thought he had consumed a half gallon of vodka the day before his arrest.
He hasn't commented on the allegations.
Pettee is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to be formally advised of the charges.
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