Man accused of stealing school bus, putting dead deer inside

A Florida man is accused of stealing a school bus in Pennsylvania, leading police on a chase and allegedly telling them he was driving home with a dead deer to fertilize his garden, authorities said.

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Tony Jay Saunders Jr. of Port St. Lucie, who turns 25 on Wednesday, was arrested and charged with fleeing police, resisting arrest and receiving stolen property, according to York County online court records. He was also charged with reckless driving, court records show.

In neighboring Adams County, Saunders was charged with a felony count of fleeing from police, the Gettysburg Times reported. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of evading arrest on foot; a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment; and one summary count each of driving without lights to avoid arrest, disregarding traffic lanes, and trespass by motor vehicle.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, troopers received a report about a Lincoln Transportation school bus that had been stolen in Abbottstown, the York Dispatch reported.

According to a news release from the Carroll Township Police Department, officers observed the bus and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. After initially pulling over, the driver of the bus, later identified as Saunders, drove away, “winding in and out of traffic lanes.”

The driver eventually crashed the bus and fled on foot into some nearby woods, the Times reported.

According to the police news release, Saunders began stripping his clothes off as he ran away. He was “apprehended in the nude” and allegedly admitted to police that he had stolen the bus.

According to police, Saunders admitted to taking the bus after crashing a BMW earlier in the day. He also allegedly told police that he put a dead deer in the back of the bus with the intent of taking the animal home so he could use the remains to fertilize his garden, the Dispatch reported.

Saunders remains in custody at the York County Prison, online records show. Bail was set at $100,000.

Saunders is expected to appear in a York County court on April 24, according to online court records.