A bus driver was arrested for numerous offenses after police stopped the bus as it was traveling to a middle school in Wauconda with 50 children onboard.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy was on patrol around 12:05 a.m. Thursday in the area of northbound Route 12 near Valentine Court in North Barrington.
The deputy observed a 2005 MCI transit bus commit an improper lane usage violation, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ari Briskman.
The sheriff’s deputy learned the registration plates were expired after checking the vehicle’s registration.
It was also learned the bus had not been issued an Interstate Fuel Tax Act sticker, which is required for a commercial motor vehicle, Briskman said.
The sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop and learned the driver, Santos Popoca-Mendez, 44, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, did not have a valid commercial driver’s license.
He also did not even have a regular driver’s license, Briskman said.
The sheriff’s deputy found there were approximately 50 juveniles onboard the bus, which was traveling from O’Hare International Airport to Wauconda Middle School.
Popoca-Mendez was placed under arrest for driving without a valid driver’s license.
Briskman said an employee of a local towing agency who has the necessary commercial driver’s license drove the bus from the traffic stop location to Wauconda Middle School without incident.
The children were then released to their guardians.
The sheriff’s deputy who initiated the traffic stop is a commercial motor vehicle enforcement officer and he weighed the bus at Wauconda Middle School using portable scales, Briskman said.
The bus was found to be overweight for its registration.
Sheriff’s deputies spoke with the owner of the bus company, M & M Tours, LLC in Milwaukee, regarding the incident.
Popoca-Mendez was transported to the Lake County Jail and charged with driving without a valid commercial driver’s license, improper lane usage, driving without an Interstate Fuel Tax Act sticker and overweight on registration.
Popca-Mendez was released with a notice to appear in court on May 20.
Briskman said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.
District 118 school officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.