BRIDGEPORT — A bus driver who blacked out behind the wheel on Interstate 95 after police said he consumed cannabis loaded gummy candies was granted a special probation program Thursday.
Jinhuan Chen said through a Mandarin interpreter that he didn’t know he was consuming THC-infused gummies because he doesn’t speak or read English.
“He was unaware the candy he consumed contained THC,” his lawyer, Daniel Esposito, told Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Reid.
“This potentially could have had devastating consequences but he (Chen) immediately pulled over and called 911,” the judge said. She granted the 59-year-old Chen accelerated rehabilitation with two years of probation.
Under the pretrial probation program Chen did not plead guilty to the 38 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment pending against him but was placed on probation by the judge. If he commits no other crime during that probation the charges against him will be dismissed.
The program does not prevent Chen from continuing to drive a bus.
According to state police, Chen was driving a busload of people from the Mohegan Sun casino on the afternoon of March 13, 2022, when police said he suddenly slumped behind the wheel unconscious.
The bus swerved back and forth on I-95 southbound near Exit 30 in Stratford, terrifying the more than 30 passengers before coming to a stop.
State police said when troopers arrived on the scene the driver, later identified as Chen, was slumped in the driver’s seat unconscious. One of the passengers told the trooper he saw Chen eating something from a bag next to his seat before he passed out, police said.
Police said they found an open bag of “Smokies Edibles Cannabis Infused Fruit Chews” next to the driver
Chen was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where police said he was found to have a high level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his blood stream.
Assistant State’s Attorney Peter Cunniff told the judge that he did not object to Chen getting accelerated rehabilitation after he further investigated the case.
“There is no evidence Mr. Chen knowingly ingested THC. He pulled over to the side of the road when he began feeling ill and called 911,” the prosecutor said.
Esposito said his client was able to take his driver’s test in his native Mandarin and has an understanding of the rules of the road.
H/T: CTPost
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