Image via St. Louis University Athletics
The Billikens basketball team's bus driver in New York took off on a drunken joyride, police say.
The Billikens had just lost a road game 70-55 to St. Bonaventure in Olean, New York, and they were getting ready to head back to the Midwest when they realized their ride was gone.
Radio announcer Bob Ramsey, who travels with the team, started live tweeting the debacle of the "nutty bus driver."
Insult to injury...
— Bob Ramsey (@RammerSTL) February 9, 2017
Lose to Bonnie's and our nutty bus driver leaves without the team!
The state troopers are tracking her down!
Serious!
New York State Police chased the runaway driver, eventually stopping her and the grand tour bus about 35 miles away from the St. Bonaventure campus in the tiny town of Randolph in far western New York.
It was a Billikens player who cracked the case. Senior guard Mike Crawford had left his gear on the bus, and the brainy law school candidate used Apple's Find My iPhone feature to provide troopers with the GPS coordinates, according to Ramsey.
The bus driver, identified as 56-year-old Linda Edmister of Gasport, New York, was apparently pretty well sauced by the time troopers found her. She failed a field sobriety test, and her blood-alcohol level was .22 — nearly three times the legal limit, police say.
Troopers hauled Edmister back to Olean and booked her on charges of driving a commercial vehicle while intoxicated. The Billikens had apparently noticed problems with Edmister shortly after boarding the bus. Ramsey was tweeting before the game that the bus driver could not even find the campus.
It seemed odd, but they were still surprised when they realized she had bolted.
Just chilling in the Reilly Center while we try to find our missing bus. #SCNotTop10 pic.twitter.com/Au9LwpofO1
— SLU Men's Basketball (@SaintLouisMBB) February 9, 2017
Billikens players, who spent the night hanging out at the gym, were eventually able to get their stuff and board a different bus to the airport.
We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected] or follow on Twitter at @DoyleMurphy.A box of wine, a stolen team bus and a snow storm?= party time in western New York!
— Bob Ramsey (@RammerSTL) February 9, 2017
