New York Daily News
John Lauinger, Jennifer Cunningham & Thomas Zambito
Days after a bus driver was arrested after a high-speed chase in Queens, the owner of the tour bus says the vehicle was taken without authorization. Antoine Legrant, president of Silhouette Tours and Travel in Brooklyn, accused 48-year-old Anthony Judd of stealing the bus over the weekend. Legrant told the New York Daily News Judd has never been an employee, but previously let him hire out his buses.
Judd faces seven years in prison if convicted of reckless endangerment. He also faces charges of evading police, running a stop sign and driving with a revoked license. Officials say Judd’s license has been suspended 14 times, most recently in December 2009. Allegedly, Judd sped through a stop sign in Queens, which promoted the chase by police. During the chase a police officer was nearly run over.
Meanwhile, on Monday New York Governor Mario Cuomo said that nearly four dozen drivers of tour buses, city buses and taxis and other commercial vehicles have been charged with felonies for holding commercial licenses even though they had other licenses suspended under different names. A crackdown on tour bus operators began after a series of deadly bus crashes involving New York-area buses earlier this year. For more, visit www.nydailynews.com.