School Bus Driver Arrested

Suffolk County Police today arrested a bus driver for driving while his ability was impaired after he crashed a school bus during a field trip in Cold Spring Harbor. James Sommer was driving a school bus carrying 29 Plainedge Middle School seventh graders and a teacher to the DNA Learning Center at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory when he attempted to park the bus and backed into a tree limb. A 12-year-old girl was transported to Huntington Hospital with minor injuries. Sommer, 47, of 248 North Beech St., Massapequa, was charged with Driving While Ability Impaired. The school bus was impounded. Sommer will be held overnight at the Second Precinct for his arraignment tomorrow at First District Court in Central Islip. A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.