A Florida man spent the July 4th holiday behind bars after being taken into custody for allegedly driving a ride-on lawn mower while impaired by alcohol. The Manatee County resident is said to have told Holmes Beach Police Department officers that he had just collected the machine from a neighbor’s house and was transporting it to his residence.
Officers happen across lawn mower
According to a local media report, officers were leaving the scene of a call around midnight when they noticed a lawn mower near a church on Gulf Drive. Officers claim that the machine was showing no lights and was being driven recklessly. Officers say that they took the man riding the lawn mower into custody on suspicion of DUI after noticing signs of intoxication during the ensuing traffic stop. Officers also claim to have found the man in possession of a container containing an alcoholic beverage. A records check revealed that the man had five prior drunk driving arrests in Illinois and Michigan as well as Florida. He lost his driving privileges for the first time in 1986, and his license was revoked permanently in 1992.
Haines City man charged with lawn mower DUI
This is not the first time in recent months that a Florida resident has faced drunk driving charges for allegedly riding a lawn mower while intoxicated. On May 2, a 68-year-old Haines City man was arrested after he allegedly struck a police vehicle with a ride-on lawn mower while impaired. He was taken into custody after he allegedly failed a field sobriety test. A breath test is said to have revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was more than three times Florida’s .08% legal limit. According to police, the man has two previous DUI convictions and has not been legally permitted to drive since 1978.
Challenging the validity of toxicology evidence
Florida has severe drunk driving penalties, and this is especially true if the defendant involved has prior DUI convictions. If you are accused of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, an experienced criminal defense attorney may scrutinize toxicology evidence and police reports carefully. If the equipment used to conduct breath tests may have been defective, an attorney could seek to have the charges against you dismissed.