FINDLAY, Ohio A serial bus thief, out on bail after being caught in possession of a stolen bus in November, is back in jail after being accused of stealing two more buses in recent weeks.

Derrick Jones of Toledo, Ohio, whose bus stealing ways extend back at least six years, was arrested on Interstate 75 last month, following the theft of a bus six hours earlier from Indianapolis-based Miller Trailways of Indiana.

When he was taken into custody Jones was free on bail after being charged in November with possessing a bus that had been stolen from American Heritage Trails of Laotto, Ind. (See Dec. 1 Bus & Motorcoach News.) He is scheduled to go on trail in June in connection with that case.

About six years ago, Jones was arrested and convicted in connection with the theft of a coach for the second time from Lakefront Lines garage in Toledo. (See July 1, 2003 Bus & Motorcoach News.)

Jones also was convicted of stealing a bus from Ground Transportation Specialists in Taylor, Mich., plus a coach from another operator.

He was sentenced to 34 months in prison for those crimes.

Midwestern coach operators consider Jones a big-time pain in the rear and at least one of them is calling for tougher laws, including federal legislation, related to the theft of vehicles used in interstate passenger service. This operator wonders if such thefts arent a homeland security issue.

Operators also are outraged that Jones was arrested and then quickly released on minimal bail in the case involving the bus taken from American Heritage Trails in November.

State prosecutors told American Heritage executives, following his arrest, that Jones would be kept in jail, pending his trial. But he was out five days later on just $1,000 bail.

"Its very frustrating," said one operator.

After his latest arrest, Jones was jailed in Ohio, with his bail revoked, pending extradition to Indiana for his June trial.

Jones latest escapades appear to have begun when hes alleged to have stolen a Miller Trailways coach from the MCI Regional Service Center in Des Plaines, Ill. GPS records show the bus was dropped off at the MCI facility at 10 p.m. and by 10:30 it was back on the road in the hands of a miscreant, believed to be Jones.

The bus later was discovered and recovered, using its onboard GPS, at a truck stop near Toledo. Eyewitnesses linked Jones to the theft.

Jones is essentially believed to have stashed the bus in the truck stop parking lot with plans to return later to use it. His method in the past has been to steal late model MCI buses and then charter them.

He did that with the Lakefront Lines thefts and attempted it with the American Heritage Trails coach. Jones was planning to use that bus to take a group to the inauguration of President Obama.

A few weeks after the bus was taken from the MCI facility, Jones and an accomplice apparently drove to Indianapolis, in a red Kia auto, where witnesses say the pair showed up in Miller Trailways bus yard at 2:30 a.m. Jones and his sidekick feigned car trouble and convinced bus cleaners to help.

Jones is accused of making off with the Miller coach, following the hub-bub his car-trouble ruse created.

The 2007 MCI was discovered missing three hours later when a Miller driver reported to work and went to find the bus for a run. Miller employees were able to quickly track the coach, via GPS, alert authorities, and the bus was stopped on I-75 near here, with Jones at the wheel.

Jones arrest while driving the bus is significant because it marks the first time he has been caught red-handed at the wheel of a stolen bus. In the other incidents he faced allegations of possessing a stolen coach, a lesser charge. He was the only person in the Miller bus.

"I hope this guy gets blistered," said one exasperated operator, "but it sounds like being caught with a stolen bus is just like joy riding in someone elses car."

A very, very expensive car.