JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE 3/8/2022: The DUI charges against bus driver Lisa Mims have been dropped.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A school bus driver is facing a DUI charge following a crash Thursday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash happened just before 6 a.m. on Jacksonville’s Westside.
Troopers said Lisa Mims, 58, of Jacksonville, was driving the bus southbound on I-295 attempting to exit onto I-10 East when it crashed while going around a curve.
The bus hit an interstate sign and drove down the embankment near the exit ramp.
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FHP said no students were on board at the time of the crash.
Mims and the bus monitor, a 62-year-old Jacksonville man, were not hurt.
An officer asked Mims if she had any alcoholic drinks. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Mims said she doesn’t drink or do drugs because she’s a minster’s wife.
The officer on scene reported, “the suspect’s eyes were glossy.” Mims got triple zeros for her Breathalyzer test, meaning no alcohol was detected. Florida Highway Patrol said it appears alcohol is not a factor, but the agency is waiting on a urine test to see if drugs contributed.
The company name written on the bus is Besi Transportation LLC.
The bus was not one of the buses contracted with Duval County Public Schools, the district confirmed.
In digging into the 58-year-old’s background, Action News Jax reporter Meghan Moriarty, found this isn’t the woman’s first driving infraction.
Back in 2017, Angelita Aaron filed a lawsuit against Lisa Mims for allegedly hitting her car while driving a school bus in August of 2016.
“I remember I dropped the kids off to school and I was parked,” Aaron said. “Then, the school bus came up and dropped the kids off and tried to make a left turn into the parking lot and, (it) ended up on the back of my vehicle. She had left the scene. I had to end up calling for help.”
The case against Mims was later dismissed. Aaron told Moriarty she worked something out with the school. Court records show Mims received a ticket for driving without a license on the same day as the incident.
Action News Jax was able to confirm with the Florida Highway Patrol that the bus Mims was driving on Thursday belonged to Besi Transportation, LLC.
Moriarty went to the address listed for the business. The manager did not want to come out to talk.
Action News Jax is still waiting to hear back on the results of the driver’s urine test. We’re also working to learn where Mims was headed on Thursday before the crash.
We will update the article once we hear from Besi Transportation, LLC. As of right now, we have not received comment.