Man sentenced for hitting teen with bus

BILLINGS, Mont. — School bus driver Timothy Whalen was sentenced last week to six years with the state Department of Corrections with 18 months suspended for running into a teenager with a school bus while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Whalen, who appeared in court last Wednesday, pleaded guilty in August to felony charges of negligent vehicular assault and criminal endangerment, The Associated Press (AP) reports. Judge Ingrid Gustafson also ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service and recommended that he spend his sentence in a prerelease center.

Whalen was charged after he hit 15-year-old Eleanore Dykes at a crosswalk in September 2009, leaving her with a broken leg. He briefly checked on Dykes and returned to the scene after finishing his route.

Whalen's blood-alcohol level was reportedly 0.118 percent two hours after the accident.

Whalen, an attorney and former state legislator, will probably lose his license to practice law because of the convictions. He served four terms as a Democrat from Billings between 1986 and 1994, according to AP.