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Female driving school van arrested and charged with OUI in New Bedford

Female driving school van arrested and charged with OUI in New Bedford

A woman driving children in a minivan school bus was arrested Tuesday in New Bedford for allegedly driving under the influence, state police said.

At about 2:30 p.m., officers stopped a Dodge Grand Caravan with school bus license plates after receiving a call that a white school bus was driving erratically on Route 140 and veered into the median and emergency lane, police said.

The minivan had five passengers ages 1, 7, 9, 12 and 18, police said.

Rebecca Shing, 34, from Somerset, appeared to have bloodshot eyes, “was unsteady on her feet” and had “a strong odor of alcohol on her breath,” police said.

“When asked if she had used drugs or alcohol, she admitted to taking one and a half doses (12 mg) of Suboxone earlier in the day,” police wrote. Suboxone is the brand name of a drug used to treat opioid addiction.

Shing’s performance on field sobriety tests indicated she was impaired, police said.

Shing was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a vehicle and four counts of child endangerment while operating under the influence.

She was arraigned in New Bedford District Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show. A preparatory conference was scheduled for November 29. Shing’s attorney, Patrick J. Mullen, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The minivan is owned by H & L Bloom, a Taunton company that provides transportation services to school districts. Shing worked as a driver for the company, police said.


Emily Sweeney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.