School Bus Company Owner Pleads Guilty To Felony Charges

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The owner of a school bus company pleaded guilty Tuesday to several felony charges.

Prosecutors say Martin Betchy put kids in danger by hiring drivers who were not licensed or drove with suspended licenses.

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They say he also did not do background checks on his drivers, many of whom had criminal records.

Betchy owned Three Rivers Transport, which was contracted to pick up and drop off Propel Charter School students. They terminated the contract back in 2016.

"We actually severed our relationship with Mr. Betchy before the charges," said Propel Charter Schools spokesperson Sonya Toler. "So, it came to our attention that he wasn't doing background checks, so we came to the decision that was not the position we wanted our students to be in."

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Betchy pleaded guilty to charges of theft by deception, endangering the welfare of children and insurance fraud.