An employee for a “drive-away” company contracted to deliver school buses to a Michigan dealer of Thomas Built Buses was arrested earlier this month for allegedly transporting marijuana and Vicodin with an intent to sell.
Athen’s County (Ohio) Sheriff Pat Kelly said deputies arrested Christopher Beck of High Point, N.C., on June 3 and charged him with drug trafficking. A Thomas Built Buses spokesperson confirmed that Beck worked for a vehicle delivery company called Woodruff that was hired by Hoekstra Transportation in Troy, Mich., and added that Thomas Built Buses was “contacting the companies directly involved to confirm the facts and discuss an appropriate resolution.”
According to Kelly, Beck stopped in Nelsonville, Ohio, about 50 miles southeast of Columbus and allegedly asked a local resident if anyone wanted to purchase the marijuana. The person bought it and then called 911. Deputies responded, arrested Beck and impounded two school buses. The other buses and drivers were released to complete the trip to the dealership.
Beck was one of five Woodruff employees driving the buses, according to the spokesperson at Thomas Built Buses. Kelly added that Beck admitted to deputies that he frequently made the trip from High Point, N.C., to Michigan.
The Thomas Built Buses spokesperson said individual dealers are responsible for hiring their own transport to move buses, and the list of approved transport companies was under review.
Calls to Hoekstra Transportation for comment were unreturned at this writing.
