Police pulling over a guy driving a Honda Civic for swerving inside the lane is nothing unusual. Rather, it is your every day standard DUI. But what about the guy driving down the road in a golf cart? Or on a motor-bike? Or on the Ice Cleaning Machine? This article is dedicated to the outrageous DUI Arrests, the ones that make us chuckle. Without further ado, we have five of the most outrageous ways to get a DUI.
5. Riding On A Motorized Bike While Suffering From Cerebral Palsy
A relatively recent example of an absurd way to get arrested for DUI can be found in the lovely state of Utah. In which a man who suffered from cerebral palsy, and other disabilities, was stopped by the police while riding a motorized bicycle. Utah Highway Patrol trooper Lisa Steed was on patrol on October 28, 2010 when she pulled over Mike tilt for suspicious driving. The trooper decided it was necessary to initiate a DUI investigation. As she explained the field sobriety exercises that she wished Mr. Tilt to perform, Mr. Tilt advised the trooper that he would most likely fail the test because one of his legs was shorter than the other one. According to the trooper he did indeed fail the test the driver then admitted to the trooper that he did not have a drivers license; and that he had not had a driver's license for more than fifteen years because of his seizures and epilepsy.
The trooper then asked the driver if he took any medication for his epilepsy. He answered yes. She responded by handcuffing him and arrested him for a DUI.
The trooper did not charge the driver with an alcohol-based DUI. Rather, she charged him with driving under the influence of the prescription pills that he admitted to taking a daily basis. Ironically, it turns out that the driver did not take his necessary prescription pills that day, which may have led to his "suspicious" behavior.
The Utah Highway Patrol Department it appears defended the trooper's actions. They even went on to praise the trooper, who was named trooper of the year in 2007 for her arrest of drivers suspected of being under the implements. This super trooper recorded approximately 400 DUI arrests 2009 alone. How many of those arrests were of epileptics on motorized bicycles is unknown at this time.
4. Trying To Outrun a Cop While Driving a Golf Cart
Apparently, picking up a DUI in a golf cart has become quite common. Even Bill Murray, of Caddy Shack fame, has a golf cart DUI to his name. Therefore, for a golf cart DUI to earn extra points and then make it to the list, the driver must do something a little extraordinary. It appears in Iowa woman, Ms. Martin, has done just that. Ms. Martin was driving a golf cart down the road when a rapid city Iowa police officer noticed that the golf cart had no lights, and was in violation of the state's traffic code. The officer put on his emergency lights and initiated a traffic stop. According to police, the driver continued on attempting to out run the police car. Ultimately, the driver realized that her electric golf cart was no match for the six cylinder police vehicle, and she pulled her cart over.
The officer, of course, smelled alcohol on the driver's breath and tried to draw blood sample. Unsurprisingly, the woman became uncooperative. The officer had to call for backup to assist with the investigation.
3. "Driving" A Horse
A woman in Alabama went for a horseback ride through town at midnight. She had been drinking. While riding a horse through town at midnight may be somewhat of a common scenario in Alabama (or for when proclaiming the British are coming), the woman raised the ridiculousness bar by attempting to ram a police car. According to the police chief, cars were passing by the horse swerving to avoid the course, almost hitting the force. A local police officer attempted to stop. He asked the woman driver repeatedly to get off the horse but she kept trying to kick the animal to make it run. Finally, the woman rammed the police car with the horse. Realizing she had made and vital mistake, the woman jumped off the horse, only to have her foot gets stuck in the stirrups. The officer took custody of the woman and search incident to arrest found marijuana, pills, and an assortment of other drugs(big surprise).
2. On A One-Foot High Toy Bike
The state of New Jersey is the proud holder of the top two most ridiculous ways that you can get a DUI. First, a man in New Jersey was convicted, and even sentenced to jail time, for taking a drunken ride on his nephews pocket bike. The pocket bike was nothing more than a miniature motorcycle that sits less than a foot off the ground. The bike allegedly cannot exceed 20 mph. the DUI attorney for the minibike rider had argued that the bike was not a vehicle, and therefore is client did not commit a DUI. The judge disagreed, and sent the man straight to jail. The DUI attorney appealed
1. On A Zamboni At An Ice Rink
And finally, also from the State of New Jersey, the most ridiculous way to get a DUI: driving a Zamboni at an ice rink. A Zamboni is in approximately four ton ice cleaning machine used on indoor and outdoor rinks. If you have ever been to a hockey game the Zamboni is that giant ridiculous square machine that is used to bus the ice between periods. A Zamboni is not street legal and you have likely never seen a Zamboni in the lane next to you on the highway. But that has not stopped police in New Jersey and Minnesota from detaining, investigating, and arresting an individual for suspicion of driving a Zamboni under the influence. In 2005, Zamboni operator John Parragallo was charged with drunken driving after a fellow employee at his local sports arena in Morris town, New Jersey called police to report that the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards. The Zamboni operator was grooming the ice during a break in a public skating session. When the police arrived, Parragallo was no longer operating the Zamboni. Nonetheless, police initiated a DUI investigation at the sports Arena, culminating with the arrest of Mr. Parragallo. Back at the police station the driver blew a.12.
Unbelievably, the state attorney in Morris town New Jersey prosecuted Mr. Parragallo for the crime of drunken driving. Mr. Parragallo fought the case. He hired DUI attorney, and fought the case in court. The case lasted for nearly two years before the judge threw the case out. The judge ruled that the four ton ice rink grooming machines are not motor vehicles under the law because they are not usable on highways and can not carry any passengers. While the previous examples in this article illustrated just how liberally most states define what constitutes a motor vehicle, apparently there is a line. And that line is drawn at the Zamboni.
