Local News in Brief : Mistrial for Bus Driver

A jury has deadlocked in the trial of a Montebello bus driver charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 3-year-old girl who was exiting his bus.

East Los Angeles Municipal Judge Gilbert Rudy Ruiz declared a mistrial in the case of George C. Schacht, 56, who was charged with two misdemeanor counts after the May 15, 1987, death of Sylvia de Luna of Montebello.

Foreman Joseph Chestnut said the jury was hopelessly deadlocked Wednesday, with the panel leaning 9 to 3 to find Schacht guilty on one ground for vehicular manslaughter--making an unsafe start--and 7 to 5 to find him guilty on another ground--negligence. The jury began deliberations last Thursday after a week of testimony and argument.

Ruiz scheduled a new trial for Aug. 22.

Witnesses testified that Sylvia de Luna was exiting the Montebello bus with her grandmother in East Los Angeles when the doors closed on her leg and the vehicle dragged her along the ground. She died of multiple injuries 10 days later.

But another witness testified that she saw the girl standing on the sidewalk when the bus started to leave. Defense lawyer F.A. de la Pena implied that the girl had fallen into the bus.

Schacht, who is free on his own recognizance, has continued to drive his bus route.