Cheerleading team from Kankakee, Illinois, makes it to Florida tournament after bus company left them stranded
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After the charter bus company they'd hired to take them to Florida left them stranded, a prestigious cheerleading team from Kankakee finally made it to their big tournament thanks to another bus company.
The Kankakee Elite Cheer team arrived in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, but their journey was anything but smooth sailing.
Thursday evening, they boarded their bus to Tampa for 7 as the Kankakee Cheerleaders team boarded a bus for Tampa for a tournament set to begin on Saturday. They arrived at their destination late Friday afternoon, after a 17-hour bus ride.
"It was just so exciting, because everybody was just so happy that we finally made it, and they were rooting for us," said the team's cheer director, Uleka Young. "The girls are excited to get in and just relax; and, you know, take a shower, and hit the pool, and do a little practicing."
The joyful moment followed a frustrating ordeal that began Wednesday afternoon.
That's when the girls were eagerly waiting on a bus from a company called PJ Luxury Liner. They had signed a contract with owner Samuel Parks, paying more than $10,000, split between a check, cash, and a Zelle transfer.
"We got scammed," said Kankakee Elite Football and Cheerleading President Seyborn Billings. "They took these parents' and these cheerleaders' hard-working money."
Why the harsh words? Because the bus never showed up, despite numerous text messages and calls to Parks.
"I called over 100 times from my number. Another number, our treasurer called over 50-60 times," Billings said.
Stranded, the team slept on the floor of a local middle school on Wednesday night. The cheerleaders said it was very cold and uncomfortable, making it difficult to sleep.
The PJ Luxury Liner business address in Dolton, listed on Parks' license, is an empty home that appeared to be abandoned as of Friday.
Park's business license was revoked in 2023, because he failed to provide the necessary business updates. In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation denied the company authorization to operate, after its insurance policy was canceled by the insurer.
After a DOT inspection in 2023, three vehicles were taken out of service because of violations connected to emergency exits doors, windows, and markings.
Parks' bus company also has faced multiple lawsuits.
In August 2024, Parks' business was sued for not making $400,000 in lease payments for two of his buses.
In December 2023, a church in Sycamore, Illinois, sued the company for cold, dirty buses that were too big and showed up late.
The most damning lawsuit was filed in 2023, after a March accident when one of the company's buses rolled over on Interstate 57 during bad weather. Fifteen people were hurt in the crash. The lawsuit accused the bus driver of continuing to drive "through inclement weather after seeing other charter buses pulled over to the side of the road."
"My goodness, we didn't know any of that," Young said. "We didn't know any of that. That's that's that's terrible to hear. That's horrific. It really is. He has to be stopped at this point. He has to."
Young said they were finally able to speak to Parks and ask what happened and why.
"He didn't say what happened. He never just admitted that, you know, what he did was wrong, or that he wasn't licensed. He just said that he was gonna give us our money back," she said. "We're just hoping that he keep his promise."
The team has used Parks' bus company before without problems, but they said they won't be hiring him again.
Although they were finally able to get to Florida through another bus company, the cheerleaders only have a few days to come up with $12,000 to pay for it. So far, they've raised about $5,000 through GoFundMe.
