Apr 26, 2016 3 min read

A charter bus driver transporting students from California Area High School was charged last week in Tennessee with driving under the influence and drug offenses after drugs were allegedly found in his possession during a vehicle inspection.

Allen Newcomer, 51, of Menallen Township, Fayette County, was charged Thursday in Davidson County court with driving under the influence, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Police filed the charges against Newcomer, a driver for Budget Charters Inc. in Adah, Fayette County, after troopers became suspicious Newcomer was under the influence while they conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on the bus.

“We deeply regret the distress caused to the students and their families by this incident,” company President Gary Shimshock said in a statement, sent by a public relations firm working for Budget Charters.

The company said in a statement the bus was experiencing mechanical issues at the time of the incident and is investigating the cause.

Troopers said Newcomer had “an obvious amount of a white powdery substance in his nostrils,” according to court paperwork. When he consented to a search, police allegedly found two pill bottles, one labeled as hydrocodone and the other unlabeled, which contained two types of pills, crushed powder whose color matched the pills and a straw.

Newcomer didn’t show signs of being drunk when police conducted field sobriety tests.

His pupils, however, were constricted and his eyes barely reacted to light. Police concluded there was probable cause that Newcomer was allegedly under the influence of narcotic painkillers.

Budget Charters’ statement said Newcomer has worked for the company since 2011.

“He has maintained a stellar driving record during his employment with us and consistently passed all of our mandated random drug screenings through the years,” Shimshock said.

He is currently suspended without pay until the matter is resolved, the company said.

Jim Todd, a Nashville attorney representing Newcomer, declined to comment on the charges. He referred questions to the company’s release. Police said there were 38 high school-age children among the 55 passengers on the bus. Of the students, 31 were under 18.

Budget Charters said it arranged for Quest Diagnostics to administer a drug test within hours of the incident. Department of Transportation-certified drug tests came back negative.

The company said it’s waiting for the results of a drug test by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Bail was posted for Newcomer on Friday.

California Area Superintendent Brian Jackson said the band was in Nashville on its annual trip.

The charter company sent another driver after charges were filed against Newcomer.

“The remaining part of the trip went well,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the district has never had issues with Budget Charters in the past but now “may review its policy on contractors on outside field trips.”