A New Hampshire man is facing several charges after allegedly crashing into a school bus full of students while driving impaired Tuesday on Route 123, state police announced.
Steven LaCroix, 61, of Stoddard, was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated DUI, conduct after an accident, negligent operation, and open container in a motor vehicle.
New Hampshire State Police responded to a report of a hazardous driver traveling on Route 9 in Roxbury around 3:50 p.m. Troopers were initially told that the driver was having difficulty staying in one lane.
It was then reported that the vehicle may have been involved in a crash on Sullivan Road near Route 9 in Keene. The caller said the vehicle -- a Cadillac XTS -- was smoking and appeared to have lost a tire.
Troopers began to search the area, and then received a new report around 4:12 p.m. that the vehicle was now on Route 9 in Stoddard turning onto Route 123 north. Several minutes later, state police say the vehicle struck the rear-end of a school bus on Route 123 near the Stoddard Fire Department.
According to state police, the school bus -- which had 18 students on board at the time of the collision -- had minimal damage and no one was injured in the crash.
State police said LaCroix was behind the wheel of the Cadillac. He was arrested on scene and later released on personal recognizance bail. He will be arraigned in Keene District Court on April 13. It was not immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney.
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State police were assisted on scene by the the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the Stoddard Fire Department and the DiLuzio Ambulance Service.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper James Lamoureux at 603-223-8494, or by email at James.D.Lamoureux@dos.nh.gov.
