Loading ...Central Florida Man Charged with DUI on Lawnmower
We just commented here last week on a Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to DUI for driving a lawnmower-turned-motorized-recliner and noted that a similar charge was possible under Florida law. And now, news comes out of Marion County near Ocala, that the sheriff’s department there has charged a man with DUI for driving a lawnmower while intoxicated.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported that Ron Martin and a woman were riding a stolen riding lawnmower down a road in Belleview, Florida last week when they crashed into a school bus. The mower had been reported stolen from a local home earlier that day.
The responding deputy reported that Martin smelled like alcohol and was uncooperative. He refused to take a breath test, and the deputy charged him with DUI, threat to a public servant, criminal mischief and grand theft.
As we have seen in previous blog posts, the definition of “operating” in Florida’s DUI laws is rather flexible. Similarly, the official definition of “motor vehicle” (for traffic and DUI purposes) in Florida’s statutes is wide-ranging. The statute says that a motor vehicle is “[a]ny self-propelled vehicle not operated upon rails or guideway, but not including any bicycle, motorized scooter, electric personal assistive mobility device, or moped.”
Martin’s DUI defense attorney may have several areas on which to focus his defense but, at least at first glance, it doesn’t seem that a lawnmower/motor vehicle defense will work under Florida law.