Bus Driver To Serve 10 Days For Stealing Summer Fares

OCEAN CITY -- A seasonal Ocean City municipal bus driver arrested in August after alert citizens observed her stealing bus fare on different occasions was found guilty this week in District Court of theft and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

During the month of July, the Ocean City Transportation Department received a complaint from a concerned citizen about the city bus driver allegedly stealing fare money while operating a municipal bus. After a second citizen warned city officials about the same driver possibly stealing fare money, the OCPD began an investigation into the alleged thefts.

During the investigation, Ocean City Police utilized the town’s auditor and the department’s crime analyst to determine the dates and values of the alleged theft.

At the completion of the investigation, the suspect was identified as Melody Ashley Lennon, 28, of Salisbury, who was employed as a seasonal bus driver. When Lennon was questioned by investigators, she confessed to the thefts.

Lennon was arrested in late August and charged with theft under $1,000. In District Court on Tuesday, Lennon pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of theft under $1,000 and was sentenced to 10 days in jail. She was also fined $500 and was ordered to pay $100 in restitution to the city.