Man accused of attacking SEPTA bus driver stays free on bail
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> A Philadelphia man accused of punching a SEPTA bus driver and hitting him in the face with a pole outside the 69th Street terminal in March was formally arraigned Wednesday on charges of simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime and harassment.
Kevin White, 48, of the 1300 block of South 46th Street, stood mute at arraignment and a plea of “not guilty” was entered on his behalf by the court. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference June 5 before Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge James Nilon.
White boarded the bus in Philadelphia in the early morning hours of March 21. At some point during the ride, the driver asked him to exit the vehicle, but White refused, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
White began photographing the driver with his cell phone. When the driver pushed the phone away, White allegedly punched the driver and hit him with a pole, which Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood described as something similar to an extension for a paint roller.
SEPTA Police Officer Edward Bongard received a report of the incident at about 2:20 a.m. Bongard allegedly saw White walking with the pole and ordered him to the ground at Taserpoint before placing him under arrest.
White is represented by Timothy Patrick Walsh and remains free on $15,000 unsecured bail, according to court records. Assistant District Attorney Jessica Conley has been assigned to prosecute.