ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A school bus driver in New Mexico accused of driving while intoxicated has pleaded guilty to felony child abuse.
Federal prosecutors say 49-year-old Duane Aaron Skeet entered his plea at a court hearing Tuesday in Albuquerque.
Skeet faces up to three years in prison at sentencing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Prosecutors say Skeet, of Chichiltah, admitted to drinking alcohol before arriving for work at the Chi Chi Tah Jones Ranch School last Sept. 24.
They say Skeet was intoxicated as he drove a bus with 25 Navajo Nation children aboard ranging in age from 5 to 12.
Court records show the bus swerved on the roadway, hit an embankment, almost flipped over while making a sharp turn at a high rate of speed and nearly drove off a bridge.
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