NORWICH – The week-long trial of a former Sherburne-Earlville school bus driver, who testified in his own defense, ended in a mistrial on Friday after the jury could not reach a verdict, according to court officials. Deliberation lasted several hours, beginning early Thursday afternoon and continuing into Friday.

Douglas C. Webb, 64, of Sherburne, was indicted in early 2022 after he allegedly groped three female teenage students while on the job. It was later discovered in an investigation by New York state police that Webb had failed to disclose a previous conviction from 1987 on his bus driver application.

After his 1987 conviction, Webb worked with a lawyer to apply for a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities (CRD). This legal process can remove some of the legal consequences of a criminal conviction. It cannot exonerate a convicted person. The process may help someone with a criminal conviction be granted employment or a license. Though Webb did receive the CRD, his conviction still held legitimate.

Webb testified he first applied to be a part-time bus driver for the Sherburne-Earlville school district in 2002. He later applied to work as a full-time bus driver in 2018. According to the prosecution, in his full-time application, Webb checked “no” to a question asking if he had ever been convicted of a crime, felony or misdemeanor. In a later question asking the applicant to explain further any crime, felony or misdemeanor committed, Webb did not write anything.

Webb was indicted on one count of first degree offering a false instrument for filing with the intent to defraud, a class E felony, one count of second degree falsifying business records, a misdemeanor, three counts of forcible touching, a misdemeanor and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

The trial began last Monday, July 29, with jury selection. On Tuesday, the prosecution, led by First Assistant District Attorney Christine Rudy, called its witnesses for testimony. Among these witnesses were the three victims, as well as school officials and investigators from the state police office.

The victims testified Webb had touched each of them in intimate areas, including the inner thigh, upper thigh and buttocks. The prosecution shared evidence, such as bus security footage of the alleged groping and the state police interrogating Webb.

Another witness was the substitute bus monitor, who claims he saw Webb touch one of the victims inappropriately and reported it to the school soon after. The bus monitor’s report to the school helped launch the state police investigation into Webb’s alleged behavior. All Sherburne-Earlville buses have a bus monitor on the bus in addition to the driver. The bus monitor’s role is to keep order and manage the students on the bus.

On Wednesday, the defense called four witnesses to testify, including the lawyer Webb had hired to apply for the CRD and two of Webb’s former colleagues. But the most surprising witness of all was Webb himself.

Webb confirmed from his colleagues’ testimony all bus drivers had to do yearly bus driver training, which pushed a policy to the effect of not touching students in any way, and, if the student approached the bus driver for physical contact, to deter the student.

However, Webb testified he regularly hugged students on the bus, and he may have accidentally put his hand above the victims’ knees. However, the prosecution maintained Webb’s groping was intentional and purposeful.

Webb testified that although none of the girls were related to him, the 64-year-old defendant felt a sense of friendship with the teenage victims. Webb said he believed the hugs made the students’ day.

The jury was sent to deliberation early Thursday afternoon. On Friday, the trial was declared a mistrial. As of Monday morning, no new trial date has been set, though the district attorney’s office may choose to hold another trial.