SAN RAFAEL (BCN) — The driver of a bus with 33 Marin County teens, drugs and alcohol on board pleaded not guilty in Marin County Superior Court Friday afternoon to nine misdemeanor drug and vehicle charges and infractions.
James Franklin Greene, 63, of San Francisco is charged with misdemeanor charges of transporting a person under age 21 in a charter-party carrier containing alcoholic beverages, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and carrying a switch blade knife in a motor vehicle.
The infractions are possession and storage of an open container of alcohol and possession of marijuana while driving.Greene will return to court July 29 for setting of a trial date,
Greene will return to court July 29 for setting of a trial date, Assistant Marin County District Attorney Barry Borden said. Central Marin Police Authority officers pulled the 45-passenger, black and silver bus over shortly after it left the Larkspur Ferry Terminal parking lot around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Police said they found marijuana, hard alcohol and hard lemonade, empty and partially consumed alcoholic beverages and prescription drugs.
The teens, ranging in age from 15 to 17 are from Larkspur, Tiburon, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Kentfield and Mill Valley, police said.
Greene told police he was taking the students to their parents and was not aware of alcohol on board, police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said.
A 16-year-old Tiburon boy rented the bus online and had a $900 cash payment that did not exchange hands before police arrived, Rohrbacher said.