LOWELL — A former school-bus driver for special-needs students pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he was driving drunk — more than three times the legal limit — when he crashed into another special-needs school bus last June in Tyngsboro.
In Lowell District Court, Erik K. Paulik, 37, of 170 Amherst St., Apt. 21, Manchester, N.H., pleaded guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol, child endangerment while driving drunk and failure to slow.
Paulik was sentenced to two years in the House of Correction in Billerica with one year to serve and the balance suspended for three years while he is on probation.
In addition, Paulik must attend all programs mandated under Massachusetts law and submit to a substance evaluation and treatment. He is also prohibited from drinking alcohol and must submit to random Breathalyzer testing.
None of the victims involved in the crash attended the hearing.
Tyngsboro police allege Paulik was driving a small school bus with several special-needs students from the Lighthouse School in Chelmsford at about 2:50 p.m. on June 19 when he rear-ended a school minivan, also carrying special-needs students from the Lighthouse School.
When the driver of the minivan stopped at the intersection of Middlesex and Westford roads, Paulik allegedly hit the minivan from behind, causing rear-end damage and breaking a rear window on the minivan, police said.
The crash pushed the minivan into the intersection, police said. The impact also showered broken glass onto some students in the minivan. There were no serious injuries reported.
Paulik registered a .27 on a portable Breathalyzer test, which is more than three times the legal limit of .08, and failed field-sobriety tests, she said. He refused to submit to the Breathalyzer at the police station, she said.
The driver of the school minivan told police the school bus had been tailgating her. A bus monitor on Paulik’s bus told police Paulik had been driving along the highway from Manchester at speeds of 90 mph to 100 mph.
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