A deputy parole commissioner in Tracy today has revoked the parole of Quintin J. Watts, driver of the bus that crashed en route to a Colusa casino last month, killing eight passengers. The judge then ordered that Watts spend a year in jail for violating terms of his parole.
Deputy Commissioner Stewart Gardner ruled that Watts (left photo) violated his parole the night of the bus crash by being more than 50 miles from his Stockton home.
The state Board of Parole appeal hearing was at the Deuel Vocational Institution, where Watts has been held since Oct. 13, when he was arrested on suspicion of parole violation.
Watts was driving the bus Oct. 5 when it overturned, killing the passengers, including Daniel Cobb, the owner of the bus. Another passenger died later.
No charges will be filed until an investigation into the cause of the accident is complete, which could take months.
Watts' lawyer, Lynnette Vincent, said she was upset with the jail time Watts must serve. She said it was out of line with the approximately four months normally handed for "technical" violations of their parole.
Watts initially was arrested on suspicion of violating his parole because he was driving the passenger bus without the proper permit. The board ruled against the traffic ticket as a parole violation.
The board determined, however, that he violated two terms of his parole: He failed to tell his parole officer he had changed jobs and that he was going more than 50 miles from his Stockton home.
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