Mo. school bus driver pleads in child's death

FULTON, Mo. (AP) - A 78-year-old mid-Missouri man has pleaded guilty in the death of a 6-year-old boy who was run over by a school bus the man was driving.

KMIZ-TV reports (http://bit.ly/sNj9AF ) that Willie Leonberger pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree involuntary manslaughter.

Leonberger, of Auxvasse (oh-VAWZ'), was charged in the Jan. 10 death of Hunter Pitt, a student in the North Callaway School District. Hunter was struck and killed just seconds after he and an older sibling got off the bus Leonberger was driving and began crossing the street.

Investigators said Leonberger failed to wait long enough before starting forward.

The Callaway County prosecutor says there was no plea agreement with Leonberger, who faces up to four years in prison for the Class D felony.

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Information from: KMIZ-TV, http://www.kmiz.com