Garage owner acquitted of issuing false inspections says he was 'caught in the crossfire'
The allegations against Randall O'Reilly were serious — that he knowingly falsified inspections for school buses, putting kids at risk for financial gain.
But he says the allegations were flawed from the beginning, because none of it was true.
The longtime mechanic, who owns and operates O'Reilly's Service Station in Tors Cove, had seven charges dropped in provincial court last week.
Lumped in with the others, O'Reilly says
He declined an interview, but told CBC News the charges were bogus and said he was "caught in the crossfire" during the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District's crackdown on bus safety starting in 2016.
Several inspection stations and bus companies faced charges after inspection blitzes throughout the school year.
Four people associated with three service stations have been convicted. Three were forced to pay fines and one sentenced to house arrest. The owner of Island Bus Services also pleaded guilty to one count of displaying an improper inspection certificate and was fined $2,400.
Another company, Kelloway Investments, had its charges dismissed and then launched a lawsuit against the NLESD for dragging its name through the mud.
O'Reilly said he didn't lose much business over the legal tangle since most of his customers believed in him from the beginning.
He had previously told CBC News he would "stake his life" on the charges being dismissed.
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