Pittsburgh Pirates bus driver busted for DUI while driving to Milwaukee
A bus driver transporting the Pittsburgh Pirates from Chicago to Milwaukee was arrested for driving under the influence during the trip.
Ronald Funderburke, 61, was driving the bus Thursday night on Interstate 94 between the two midwest cities, authorities said.
A police escort accompanied the team on the short drive. Illinois state troopers on the scene said Funderburke was driving erratically and apparently trying to leave the convoy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Officers initially called for an ambulance, as they believed the bus driver was having a medical emergency, according to Reuters. However, upon closer inspection they believed the man was impaired.
Funderburke, a resident of Shelby, N.C., is not a Pirates employee. He was contracted to drive the team to Milwaukee following a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates lost all three games, and proceeded to drop their first two in Milwaukee as well.
“The important thing is that all of our personnel arrived in Milwaukee safely,” Pirates vice president of communications Brian Warecki said. “Buses are contracted out to a local provider, which was consistent with this trip, and we are now in communication with the appropriate parties regarding this matter.”
With News Wire Services
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