Police: Lynnfield bus driver asked cheerleaders to flash him for $40

LYNNFIELD-A town school bus driver with a 23-year spotless record has been suspended after Leominster cheerleaders Sunday claimed William Diamond offered them $40 if they would lift up their shirts.They made the allegation to police who filed an accosting complaint against Diamond. He will be summonsed into Lowell District Court for a magistrate’s hearing to determine if charges should be filed against the 56-year-old Danvers resident.Diamond drove Lynnfield cheerleaders to a competition in Lowell Sunday afternoon. At about 2:30, adult event coordinators told Lowell police officers working at the competition that Leominster cheerleaders complained about a remark Diamond made to them.”Three Leominster cheerleaders said he was leering at them as they walked by him. He stuck out his tongue and told them, ‘Lift up your shirt and I’ll give you $40,'” said Lowell Police Capt. Randall Humphrey.Humphrey said the police report on the incident does not mention any response Diamond made to the accusations. Attempts to reach Diamond Tuesday were unsuccessful.Humphrey said he told police “he liked the Leominster squad’s tops because they have the word Devil on them and that was his nickname when he was younger.”Lynnfield School Superintendent Robert Hassett and town officials determined Lynnfield cheerleaders’ parents, many of whom were attending the competition, should drive the cheerleaders home. Diamond drove the town bus back to Lynnfield.Hassett said Town Manager William Gustus will investigate the allegations against Diamond who is classified as a town public works employee.The allegations surprised Hassett and Police Chief Paul Romano who was not completely familiar Tuesday morning with details of the accusations.”He’s driven thousands and thousands of kids. I’m extremely surprised,” Romano said.According to a representative from Gustus’ office, Diamond is an employee of the town of Lynnfield, not an outside bus company contracted to the town, as is the case in many surrounding communities, including Lynn.The Lynn Public Schools contract its transportation services through North Reading Transportation, which is responsible for hiring and reviewing its own drivers.While personnel decisions are out of his hands, Transportation Director David Hegan said Tuesday that the city does conduct its own criminal background checks on drivers each year and is privy to drug testing and criminal checks performed by North Reading Transportation prior to the hiring of new drivers.”There is certain criteria in our contract that they (North Reading Transportation) have to meet,” said Hegan. “Drivers are subject to annual CORI checks and random drug testing. That is in our contract.”In the case of Diamond, the strange accusations come despite 23 years of incident-free school bus driving and it is unlikely any sort of criminal, background or drug test could have tipped off Lynnfield officials that he may be a risk.While this incident is a reminder that the risk is always present, Hegan says he has confidence in the drivers responsible for transporting students in Lynn, as he has never had a problem with the North Reading Transportation employees.”We haven’t had any incidents. There has been nothing since I have been here,” he said. “We have had a few failed pre-employment drug screenings, but obviously in that situation they are not hired.”