A Florida man may be regretting his decision to pick up a lawnmower from one of his neighbors on July 4 after he was taken into custody for alleged drunk driving. Police say that a records check revealed that the Manatee County resident has faced DUI charges on five prior occasions in Illinois and Michigan as well as Florida. A Holmes Beach Police Department representative said the man’s driving privileges were first suspended in 1982 and his license was permanently revoked in 1992.
According to a HBPD report, officers had just completed a call near the CrossPointe Fellowship Church on palm Drive when a ride-on lawn mower crossed their path. Officers say that the man driving the mower weaved across the road before cutting through the church parking lot. The events took place around midnight, and officers claim that the mower posed a danger to other road users because it was large and had no lights.
When questioned by police, the man allegedly said that he had just picked up the mower from a neighbor’s house and the only way he could get the machine to his home was to get on it and drive. Initial reports do not indicate what led officers to determine that the man was intoxicated or what his blood alcohol concentration may have been.
Motorists who get behind the wheel while intoxicated by alcohol can face severe penalties in Florida, and the sentences handed down to individuals with multiple prior drunk driving convictions are often especially harsh. This is why experienced criminal defense attorneys may advise DUI suspects to refrain from admitting that they knowingly drove while impaired. Admissions of this kind are not likely to deter police officers from making an arrest, but they could make obtaining a favorable resolution more difficult for attorneys.
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