11/05/2009

Associated Press

A former Montana school bus driver accused of hitting a teenager in a crosswalk while driving drunk has been caught by the Washington State Patrol.

KULR-TV reports that Tim Whalen was taken into custody Wednesday after a traffic stop in the northeast Washington town of Republic.

Whalen is charged in Montana with four felonies, including negligent vehicular assault.

Prosecutors say Whalen had a blood alcohol content of .118 two hours after the bus he was driving hit a 15-year-old girl on Sept. 25 in Billings. The girl suffered a broken leg.

There was no immediate word on when Whalen will be brought back to Montana to face charges.

Whalen is a former Democratic state legislator from Billings who served until 1994.

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Information from: KULR-TV, http://www.kulr8.com