UPDATE 4 P.M. – According to a Three Village school spokeswoman, the school bus driver was the witness who was able to provide Slavonik's license plate number to the police.
The bus was one of two carrying sixth-graders from Mount Elementary to the DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor National Laboratory for a field trip. The school spokeswoman said both buses proceeded to the field trip after it was determined that there were no injuries to the children and adults on board the bus.
ORIGINAL STORY
Police say a Commack man was drunk when he crashed his pickup truck into a school bus carrying Three Village students Tuesday morning in Smithtown.
No injuries were reported among the three adults and 23 children on board the bus.
Suffolk County police arrested the man, 44-year-old Robert Slavonik, who is now charged with Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting and Driving While Intoxicated.
According to police, the man was exiting a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot in Smithtown when he struck the school bus, which was traveling west on Route 25A, at approximately 9:45 a.m.
Police said a witness reported the driver's license plate number, and the police were able to find Slavonik at his home, where he was sitting in the front seat of his vehicle.
Slavonik will be arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Central Islip.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information is received.
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