Boy sentenced for driving stolen bus

A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to four years in a juvenile treatment program after deputies stopped him driving a stolen bus along a public transit route, picking up passengers and collecting fares.

A judge also sentenced Ritchie Calvin Davis last week to an additional four months in a treatment program for trespassing and theft linked to an unrelated break-in at a United Way office, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Davis also lost his driving privileges for a year, though he doesn't have a license. The sentence means he won't be able to drive for a year after getting a permit or license.

He was already on probation for taking a tour bus and driving passengers around in January, authorities said.

Davis took the city bus on Oct. 28 from the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando, where it was parked awaiting sale at an auction, according to a Seminole County sheriff's report. The bus belongs to the Central Florida Transportation Agency, which runs LYNX public transit services in the Orlando area.

Passengers and deputies noted Davis drove the bus at normal speeds and made all the appropriate stops on the route. One passenger, suspicious of the driver's youthful looks, called 911.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

School Crime and Juvenile Justice

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