A commercial bus driver who passed out on a Connecticut highway after eating THC gummies was granted a special probation program that could eliminate the dozens of reckless endangerment charges he faced.
Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter at the Fairfield County Courthouse in Bridgeport on Thursday, Jinhuan Chen, 59, claimed he didn’t know he was eating cannabis-laced candy while busing 38 passengers to Mohegan Sun Casino because he didn’t cannot read or speak English, CTPost reported.
“He did not know that the candy he consumed contained THC,” his attorney, Daniel Esposito, told Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Reid.
“Mr. Chen considers himself lucky that no one was hurt,” Esposito said.
Chen was driving a Go Go Sun Tour bus loaded with casino visitors in March 2022 when the bus suddenly began swerving on Interstate 95 in Stratford, Connecticut, frightening the passengers on board, police said.
The bus driver, Jinhuan Chen, 59, claimed he did not realize that the sweets he was eating contained THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. Kevin C. Downs for the New York Post
He was able to stop the bus on the side of the road and call 911 before passing out. Troopers found him slumped in the driver’s seat, unconscious, with an open bag of “Cannabis-Infused Fruit Edible Smokies Chews” next to him, State Police said.
Upon being taken to the hospital, Chen was found to have high levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his bloodstream, prosecutors said. He was subsequently arrested at his Boston home.
“This could have potentially had devastating consequences, but [Chen] He immediately stopped and called 911,” Judge Reid said before granting Chen “accelerated rehabilitation,” which carries two years of probation.
A Connecticut judge granted Chen special probation that would vacate the 38 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment he faced after the bus incident if he commits no crimes for two years. fake images
Under the terms of his probation, the 38 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment Chen faced will be dismissed as long as he does not commit another crime for two years.
Prosecutors said they did not object to Reid’s lenient sentence after investigating the case further.
“There is no evidence that Mr. Chen knowingly ingested THC. He pulled over to the side of the road when he started to feel sick and called 911.”
Victor Chen, manager of Go Go Sun Tour, told Hearst Connecticut Media at the time that Chen had a spotless driving record in the decade he worked for the company.
“He doesn’t drink or smoke, but he likes sweets and sweets,” Victor Chen said.
“He picked up a bag of candy at a local market here and didn’t know it contained marijuana.”
Chen will still be allowed to drive a bus while on probation.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn