PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The mother of two boys whose fight with a substitute school bus driver was captured on videotape has questioned why the boys are charged with a felony while the driver faces a less serious charge.
Sherri Shaw said Monday on NBC's "Today" that she's not satisfied with the punishment facing driver Albert Taylor. He has been charged with misdemeanor battery and could spend a year in jail if convicted.
Mark Ernest Dickinson, 15, and his stepbrother, Corey Gene Hendershot, 13, were arrested last week and charged with assault on a school official, a felony punishable by up to five years in a juvenile justice facility, said Russell Kirshy, the family's attorney.
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If I were the driver, I would have done what I have seen many drivers do to forestall would-be fare beaters: I would have taken my seat and not moved the bus until the riders complied. Then the other students would have taken care of doing the dirty work for me.