A former Citrus County Transit Services driver is accused of driving a bus full of passengers who are disabled while under the influence of alcohol.

Kenneth David Broderick, 52, was arrested Tuesday after a deputy saw him driving poorly on eastbound State Road 44 in Inverness, officials said.

Before the deputy could pull Broderick over, he braked suddenly, then pulled into the parking lot of a closed business at State Road 44 and Arlene Avenue.

Officials said that when the deputy got on the bus, he saw an elderly man on the floor in pain. Investigators said the man was thrown from his seat because of Broderick's erratic driving.

An ambulance was called to take the man to the hospital.

The deputy smelled alcohol on Broderick's breath and asked him to perform sobriety tests, the arrest report says. Broderick said he would, and that he hadn't had a drink in weeks. However, officials said Broderick performed poorly on the sobriety tests.

Broderick's blood alcohol level was 0.255 and 0.261. The state presumes intoxication at 0.08.

Deputies said that when they searched Broderick's bag, which was with him when he was on the bus, they found a 375-ml bottle of vodka, which was nearly empty, generic ibuprofen PM and a sleep aid.

Broderick was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and taken to the Citrus County Detention Center. Bond was set at $1,000.

According to our partners at the Citrus County Chronicle, a county spokesperson said Broderick has lost his commercial driver's license as a result of his arrest and was fired Wednesday morning.

Broderick had worked as a para-transit driver with the service since November 2009, and officials said no complaints had been made against him.