NORWICH – The week-long trial of a former Sherburne-Earlville school bus driver, who testified in his own defense, ended in a mistrial on Friday after the jury could not reach a verdict, according to court officials. Deliberation lasted several hours, beginning early Thursday afternoon and continuing into Friday.

Douglas C. Webb, 64, of Sherburne, was indicted in early 2022 after he allegedly groped three female teenage students while on the job. It was later discovered in an investigation by New York state police that Webb had failed to disclose a previous conviction from 1987 on his bus driver application.

After his 1987 conviction, Webb worked with a lawyer to apply for a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities (CRD). This legal process can remove some of the legal consequences of a criminal conviction. It cannot exonerate a convicted person. The process may help someone with a criminal conviction be granted employment or a license. Though Webb did receive the CRD, his conviction still held legitimate.

Webb testified he first applied to be a part-time bus driver for the Sherburne-Earlville school district in 2002. He later applied to work as a full-time bus driver in 2018. According to the prosecution, in his full-time application, Webb checked “no” to a question asking if he had ever been convicted of a crime, felony or misdemeanor. In a later question asking the applicant to explain further any crime, felony or misdemeanor committed, Webb did not write anything.