School bus mechanic faces charges State says trooper taped employee placing stickers without inspection

KENNEBUNK – A school department mechanic is facing criminal charges for allegedly placing inspections stickers on school buses without inspecting the vehicles.

A state police trooper saw Larry Nightingale, 49, affix the stickers to at least six school buses, according to Stephen McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Nightingale will be summoned on six counts of “display of a fictional certificate,” McCausland said. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.

School buses are required by law to undergo inspection twice a year, by March and September. As of Friday, Feb. 28, buses that belonged to School Administrative District 71 had not been inspected.

McCausland said someone tipped police off to a possible problem and Trooper Dean Knight went to the school district’s bus garage to observe the inspection procedures Friday.

Knight videotaped Nightingale putting stickers on buses and then asked him to produce documents showing that the buses had actually been inspected, McCausland said.

Nightingale could not offer him any documents, McCausland said.

Police temporarily revoked the school district’s licensing certificate but reinstated it Friday so a different mechanic could inspect the buses.

Nightingale could not immediately be reached for comment.

Suzanne Lucas, acting school superintendent, said the district’s transportation director, Dan LaMarre, told her Friday of some problems at the bus garage.

Lucas said she could not go into specifics about the issues that prompted the tip to police, citing personnel policy.

“I can’t talk about an employee,” she said. “We have our inspection certificate and we inspected all our buses this weekend. They are in compliance and on the road.”

LaMarre referred questions to Lucas.