The Wheels of Justice

The feds arrest the owner of the bus company whose vehicle caught fire last September, killing 23 elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees in Dallas.

U.S. Marshals provide curbside sercive for James H. Maples, picking him up at his McAllen home this morning. Maples owns Global Limo Inc., a company with a history of violations and a bad rep among Valley school districts.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the man and his company face charges of falsifying driver time records, and "willfully failing to inspect their buses to ensure safe operation." Maples faces up to five years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convcted on the first count; one year and a $100,000 fine for the other two.

"Rules governing the safe carriage of passengers are not made to be broken;" said United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg. "They are made to be followed, and followed scrupulously, by transportation companies."

In case you missed it, the Dallas Morning News ran a profile on Maples on New Year's Day. He told the Morning News last year that once all the facts are in, he'll be shown blameless.

"Everybody can say what they want to until the final thing comes out," Mr. Maples said. "And then we'll see who is right and wrong."

I'm glad to see authorities go after this guy, who clearly should take responsiblity for the condition of his buses, instead of persecuting the poor driver.