Teen Bus Driver Charged With Grand Theft Auto

Oct. 30, 2006 — -- When passengers boarded a public bus in Florida, most didn't give the driver a second thought.

One rider, though, was suspicious.

"The bus driver was a little too young to be driving the bus," said passenger Jeffrey Johnson. "He wasn't wearing a uniform, and he looked like between the ages of 13 and 15."

It turned out, the driver, Ritchie Davis, was only 15 years old and had stolen the bus from the Orange County, Fla., fairgrounds.

While Davis was clearly too young to be driving the bus, he seemed to know what he was doing, Johnson said.

"He knew everything about the bus," Johnson said. "He was following the route perfectly. I was like, 'Man, he's driving pretty good.'"

Still, Johnson called 911 anyway.

When a sheriff's deputy pulled the bus over, Davis apparently couldn't understand why he was being arrested, because he thought he was a good driver.

This isn't the first time Davis has had a run-in with the law while behind the wheel.

He is on probation for stealing a charter bus and driving passengers around. His father, Archie Bell, said he didn't realize his son liked driving so much.

"This happened like three times, so I guess he really do like driving buses," Bell said.

Davis was charged with grand theft auto and driving without a license. He could be tried as an adult and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.