Drivers on a busy Florida highway were in for a surprise when police pulled over an intoxicated man behind the wheel — of a lawn mower.
Calls began flooding into the Florida Highway Patrol of a man erratically driving a lawn mower down Suncoast Parkway at around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Fox 13 reported.
A trooper then arrived on scene about 20 minutes later and found driver Christopher Spain, 38, sitting on the mower on the shoulder of the highway.
The Florida Highway Patrol stated that the trooper immediately observed signs of impairment in Spain, including pinpoint pupils, flushed skin, a dry mouth, and irritation on the inside of his nose.
The alleged drunk driver also kept sniffling, spitting and clearing his throat while talking with the officer.
The trooper then attempted to give him a field sobriety test multiple times, but Spain wasn’t having it and became uncooperative after the third attempt.
Spain was then arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
He was booked into the Hernando County Jail and was released Friday afternoon on $500 bond, Fox 13 reported.
Spain isn’t the first Floridian to be charged with a DUI while operating a lawn mower.
Paul Burke was arrested while driving a riding lawn mower in the middle of a highway in Marion County in 2020.
A video of the incident shows Burke — who already had three previous DUI convictions — telling a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy that he has “no driver’s license at all.”
He then told the deputy that field sobriety tests wouldn’t be necessary because he had been drinking before briefly trying to perform the exercises.
Burke was arrested for DUI and taken to the Marion County Jail.
In 2017, a Port St. Lucie Police officer arrested Kenneth Burton Alleshouse after he was pulled over while riding his red Snapper lawn mower down US Highway 1 while carrying a case of Budweiser beer.
The officer who pulled over Alleshouse said they clearly detected the smell of alcohol while speaking with him.
Authorities tested the suspect’s blood alcohol level, and while they did not release the exact number, they did say it was three times above the legal limit.
Alleshouse was arrested for DUI and taken to the St. Lucie County Jail.
According to Florida law, a “vehicle” is “every device by which a person can be transported or drawn upon a highway,” including lawn mowers, golf carts, ATVs, and bicycles.
In Florida, the legal blood alcohol limit is .08% for drivers operating any vehicle as defined by state law — including lawn mowers.
