The 49-year-old man accused of driving a bus with a blood-alcohol level five times the legal limit will face a felony charge.
Darren Pettee was working as a contract bus driver for the Regional Transportation District when he was on suspicion of driving under the influence while on duty in east Denver.
Pettee, an employee of First Transit, appeared in court Friday for a misdemeanor DUI charge. That case was dismissed and Pettee was taken into custody on a felony arrest warrant, according to the Denver district attorney’s office.
He now faces one count of endangering public transportation, a felony.
Pettee also faces one charge for DUI-third offense and one count of DUI per se. Both are misdemeanors.
Investigators say a customer on the bus Pettee was driving near East Ninth Avenue and Clermont Street noticed that “his driving was out of the ordinary.” Passengers called RTD.
RTD called police to investigate. Authorities say Pettee’s blood alcohol was 0.211. The state’s limit for normal drivers is 0.08, but for commercial drivers, such as Pettee, the legal limit is 0.04.
Pettee was convicted of driving while ability impaired in 1989 and 1992. RTD said its required background checks go back only 15 years.
Bail has been set at $1,500.
