Drunk Driver Jailed for Hitting School Bus

A Reseda man was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading no contest to hitting a school bus while driving drunk earlier this month and violating probation on a prior drunk-driving conviction, officials said Monday.

Michael John Shelby Sr., 43, was sentenced after entering his plea at Van Nuys Municipal Court on Friday, said Mike Qualls, spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

Shelby was also ordered to pay a $1,053 fine or serve an additional 13 days in jail, Qualls said, and to return to court April 23, when the court will determine if he will have to pay restitution to victims in the case.

The case stems from a March 7 incident in which Shelby’s pickup truck struck the rear of a Laidlaw Transit school bus that had pulled over at Roscoe Boulevard near Cedros Avenue in North Hills to pick up a passenger, Qualls said.

Investigators took Shelby into custody after he was unable to pass a field sobriety test, Qualls said.

At the LAPD Van Nuys station Shelby was given a breath test that showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.18%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%, Qualls said.

For his first drunk-driving conviction on Jan. 11, Shelby was sentenced to 48 hours in jail, fined $390 and placed on five years’ summary probation, Qualls said.

Shelby was ordered into custody immediately following his sentencing on Friday, Qualls said.