Posted: Friday, September 28, 2012 7:35 pm | Updated: 7:39 pm, Fri Sep 28, 2012.
By Elizabeth Summers
sandmountainreporter.com

Seeing a bus driving down the highway doesn't usually draw attention. But when Albertville Police Chief Doug Pollard saw a large bus in a residential area, he became suspicious Friday afternoon.

"We got information a couple of weeks ago that there would be a bus coming into town to bring some illegal immigrants," Pollard said.

"We have been watching for buses since then.

"Last week, we stopped a bus and wrote a ticket for having an expired tag. There wasn't anyone on board, so we cut them loose."

Friday, however, the bus contained eight people, including the bus drivers.

At about 2:30 p.m. Friday, Pollard said he stopped the bus for having a switched and expired license plate.

He declined to specify where the bus was stopped, but stated it was not on one of the major thoroughfares, such as U.S. 431 or Alabama 205.

Upon further investigation, the eight Hispanic passengers on the bus admitted to having boarded the bus in Mexico. Following stops in Houston, Texas; Mississippi, Cullman and Huntsville, the bus ended up in Albertville to drop off some passengers.

"We got (the U.S. Department of) Homeland Security out here from their Huntsville office to check them out," Pollard said. "The passengers were apparently being dropped off here, here and here on the way from Mexico.

"They all had valid, stamped passports with them.

"We called the border where they crossed into the United States and they remembered the bus and they were able to verify that everyone on the bus got a stamp for their passport."

Officers, detectives, officers from Homeland Security and a K9 unit remained on the scene until nearly 5:40 p.m.

Pollard said he did not know why the bus stopped in Albertville, where its next stop was or if the bus was some type of charter business, but the driver was ticketed for having an switched and expired license plate and warned that the bus service would now be under watch.

"Our police department is trying to do something about the illegal immigrant problem," Pollard said. "This time, we found legal passengers.

"We're putting bus companies on notice that we are watching, though."

Albertville Police watching for buses bringing illegal immigrants - sandmountainreporter.com: Local News