Prosecutor Demands 2nd Trial, Then Pays Ticket For Passing School Bus

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A senior federal prosecutor who had demanded a second trial after she was found guilty of illegally passing a school bus decided to pay the ticket this week instead, Connecticut Post reports.

A courtroom had already been prepared and witnesses had been assembled for trial before a Superior Court judge on Tuesday morning when Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss went to the courthouse and paid her $465 ticket, the newspaper reports. Rodriguez-Coss, an assistant U.S. Attorney and second in command of the state’s National Security and Major Crimes Unit, had demanded another trial after a state magistrate on June 9 found her guilty of speeding past a school bus while it was loading students and fined her $465.

According to court documents, on Nov. 13, 2015, a patrol officer who was assigned to a traffic detail across from the Safe Harbour Daycare saw a school bus stop, activate its lights, and put its stop arm out, Connecticut Post reports. A police report states that students began boarding the bus when a car, operated by Rodriguez-Coss, passed the stopped school bus without slowing, and the officer issued her a ticket, according to the newspaper. Prosecutors also presented video of the incident during the hearing in June, and since that hearing, police obtained a statement from the bus driver, who said she honked her horn as Rodriguez-Coss sped past her.

Rodriguez-Coss declined comment, Connecticut Post reports.

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