Maryland woman charged with school bus theft pleads guilty

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Nicole Jo-Ann Adams, a woman charged in the theft of a special-needs bus last fall, has been sentenced after entering a guilty plea, WBALTV reports.

The Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office told the news source that Adams pleaded guilty to second degree burglary and theft. She was sentenced to 10 years on each count, five years of supervised probation and to pay $10,000 in restitution to Anne Arundel County, according to WBALTV.

A second suspect, Travis Edward Champagne, was also charged in the investigation.

In October, the Anne Arundel County Police Department received a call from a bus company dispatcher regarding the theft of a school bus from a lot. The bus was found soon after in a wooded area. The suspects allegedly struck a tower with the bus, broke the windows, crashed it and attempted to set it on fire before abandoning it. They were apparently under the influence of alcohol and were looking for change to buy cigarettes, police said.