Lynnfield bus driver in flash flap resigns

LYNNFIELD – The Lynnfield bus driver accused of accosting high school cheerleaders at a competition in Lowell last month has resigned.Following his termination hearing on Nov. 26, William Diamond voluntarily stepped down from the position he held for over 23 years. According to Town Administrator Bill Gustus, who was put in charge of investigating the allegations, Diamond submitted his resignation on Monday, Dec. 1 before the town had a chance to present its findings. Gustus said he was encouraged to leave.Three Leominster cheerleaders claimed that the 56-year-old Danvers resident approached them on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and offered them money to “lift up their shirts.” Diamond was at the event because he drove a group of Lynnfield cheerleaders to compete.At about 2:30 p.m. 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. He also said Diamond 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.”After hearing of the incident, Lynnfield School Administrators contacted the parents of their cheerleading squad and arranged for them to get a ride home. Diamond was ordered off the property and drove the empty bus back to town.This was the first reported incident in his 23 years with Lynnfield, said Gustus, who admits to having been caught off guard with the news.?I was very, very surprised,” he said. “Obviously we wouldn?t have had him here if we had any indication that this was the kind of behavior that he would exhibit.”Diamond is still scheduled to appear in Lowell District Court for a magistrate?s hearing to determine whether three counts of accosting or annoying the opposite sex can be charged against him.As for Lynnfield officials, their job is done.?We?ve taken action,” said Gustus. “What happens from here on out is up to others.”