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Pa. AG's office: School transport company owner hired drivers with criminal records

Pa. AG's office: School transport company owner hired drivers with criminal records

The owner of a McKeesport transportation company is accused of allowing people with criminal records to drive charter school students after he failed to conduct background checks.

Martin W. Betchy, owner of Three Rivers Transit LLC, employed “numerous” drivers with criminal records and fraudulently obtained insurance policies by saying the student-transport vehicles were for his personal use, the state Attorney General’s office said Wednesday.

Several of his drivers did not have valid driver’s licenses because they had previously been charged with drug possession or driving under the influence. One had been convicted of robbery and aggravated assault, and another was convicted for identity theft and burglary, investigators said.

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Mr. Betchy, 35, faces charges including theft, insurance fraud and endangering the welfare of children.

“The conduct of this individual put many innocent children at risk,” Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer said in a statement. “There are safeguards in place to ensure that the people trusted with transporting school students are qualified and suitable drivers. Those necessary protections were ignored time after time as this individual acted with disregard for the law and the safety of these children.”

Per his contract with Propel Schools, which operates 11 charter schools across Allegheny County, Mr. Betchy was required to ensure that all of his drivers underwent background checks and child-abuse clearances, investigators said. He worked with the school network for the past several years, and collected about $2.4 million since 2012.

Propel spokeswoman Kelly Wall said the school system terminated its contract with Three Rivers Transit “effective immediately” Wednesday. “The safety of our children is obviously of the utmost imporatance,” she said.

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The Attorney General’s office began investigating Mr. Betchy after one of his drivers caused an accident that injured another driver in 2013, according to the criminal complaint. When the other driver tried to file an insurance claim based on the information provided by Mr. Betchy’s employee, Nationwide Insurance said Mr. Betchy had canceled his policy.

In January 2015, one of Mr. Betchy’s drivers caused a three-car accident that resulted in the hospitalization of three people, including herself and the 9-year-old student she was transporting, the complaint states. Because the minivan was not properly insured under a commercial policy, investigators said the student’s mother’s insurance carrier paid for the child’s medical treatment.

Investigators interviewed 10 drivers who worked for Mr. Betchy, according to the complaint. Three did not have valid licenses and six had prior convictions.

Messages left at a phone number for Three Rivers Transit were not returned Wednesday.

Elizabeth Behrman: Lbehrman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.

 

 

 

Martin Betchy

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Published: December 21, 2016, 5:47 p.m.

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