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MONTICELLO, Utah (AP) -- Two misdemeanor charges have been filed against the driver of a tour bus that crashed at night on a twisting highway in southeastern Utah, killing nine Arizona skiers.
Welland Lotan, 71, is charged with improper lane travel and a log-book violation in the Jan. 6 crash near the Utah-Arizona border.
San Juan County Attorney Craig Halls said investigators looked at images from a bus camera and found no evidence that Lotan was talking on a cell phone or distracted. They also found no evidence that he was driving too fast.
Lotan, who lives in Apache Junction, Ariz., and Gladwin, Mich., did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Friday. He's due in court May 19.
The bus skidded off State Route 163 and rolled once near Mexican Hat, Utah. The impact sheared off the roof, ejecting 50 of 52 people returning to the Phoenix area from a ski trip to Telluride, Colo. Twenty people were injured.
Federal investigators have said the bus had no mechanical problems. A report from the National Transportation Safety Board has not yet been released.
The bus belonged to Corporate Transportation 'N Tours of Phoenix, which is affiliated with Arrow Stage Lines of Omaha, Neb. Arrow has said it was a new bus in perfect working condition.
Lotan has a clean driving record in Michigan and is licensed for commercial vehicles, according to authorities there.
The misdemeanors were filed April 16. The maximum penalty for each is $1,034 in fines and up to 90 days in jail.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
