5:45 P.M. TUESDAY APRIL 28 -- A former Chapel Hill Transit driver pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor death by vehicle today.
James Willie Orr 65 at the time of the incident struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at South Columbia Street while driving an NS-route bus last October.
Orr was given a 45-day suspended sentence. Aside from paying cost of court Orr will have to pay a $100 fine and serve 100 hours of community service. The judge said Orr might have to serve on a motor vehicle panel where he would share his experience.
Orr will remain on unsupervised probation for 18 months. During that time he will have to submit monthly motor vehicle record checks.
Driving records presented to the court showed that Orr had been involved in previous incidents but none that warranted a citation defense attorney Karen Davidson said during the proceedings.
Valerie Hughes33 who had been a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care since 2007 died after she was struck when Orr made a left turn off Mason Farm Road onto South Columbia Street
Immediately after the incident Orr was placed on leave without pay. After further investigation he lost his job with Chapel Hill Transit.
