State troopers say an Enfield man was charged with stealing a school bus after telling officers he needed a ride home after a friend's arrest.
Peter Smario is due in Norwich Superior Court on June 19 on charges of larceny, drug possession, criminal trespass and possession of a weapon in a vehicle, police said.
Police said several drivers reported a yellow school bus driving erratically and hitting construction cones on Route 2 in Colchester. The vehicle had been taken from a nearby bus yard.
Police said Smario was carrying heroin, a knife and a large amount of cash when they arrested him during the Thursday night incident. Troopers say the 28-year-old told them his friend had been arrested earlier that evening, leaving him without a ride home.
He was arraigned Friday, and has not yet entered a plea. Information was not immediately available early Tuesday on whether he had an attorney.
