Quincy Van Driver Charged With OUI After Crashing With Student In Back

QUINCY, MA — A contracted school bus driver was arrested and charged with drugged driving after she rear-ended another car while taking a student to school Wednesday morning.

Stephanie Spacco, 35, of Quincy was charged with operating under the influence of drugs, reckless endangerment of a child, possession of a Class A drug, possession of a Class E drug, and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment.

According to a police report, officers responded to reports of an erratic driver crossing the double lines near the area of Sea Street in Quincy around 9:40 a.m. The caller told police she saw a child in the back and called them because they believed the driver was impaired. As they are telling the operator this, the caller said the erratic driver had rear-ended another car in front of it at the intersection with Southern Artery.

Once the officers got to the scene, both drivers were outside of their vehicles, a child was in the backseat of the van, and police say Spacco was trying to open the glove box.

"As I walked over to Ms. Spacco, I observed that her pupils were constricted and she was acting erratic. She appeared to be very jittery and could not stand steady on her feet," the responding officer said in the report. "Additionally, the officer reported seeing a pill bottle with no prescription attached on top of a black purse. When asked, Spacco told police the pills were muscle relaxers she had obtained from a friend."

The child was okay and no one was hurt. Once officers spoke with the child and his grandmother, they learned the child was picked up just after 9 a.m. when he was supposed to be picked up at 7:30 a.m., the report claims.

Police say the student explained that Spacco got lost multiple times when trying to find a Dunkin' and left him alone in the vehicle when she went inside to get a coffee. The student also told police that she left him alone when she went inside a barbershop.

The officers then performed a field sobriety test, which the Patriot Ledger caught pictures of - where police said she would "lose her balance and stumble." This caused police to file the report, determining that she was impaired and taking her into custody.

Police found muscle relaxer cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride on Spacco, and a white powder, two pills, a vape, and a Suboxone wrapper in the van. A urine test from her was also requested as evidence, police said.

The Quincy School District says Spacco was hired through an outside transportation vendor.

Spacco was arraigned in Quincy District Court Thursday and released without bail on the condition she remain drug-free.