DUI Suspect Pulled Over While Driving Lawnmower
GARDEN CITY, Colo. (CBS4)- A Northern Colorado man was arrested on suspicion on DUI but it was what he was driving that makes this case unusual. He was driving a lawnmower.
Police said Kenneth Welton was driving drunk from bar to bar along a very busy 8th Avenue in Garden City on a riding lawnmower.
"He couldn't stand on his own. He was showing signs of impairment," said Weld County Sheriff's Sgt. Sean Standridge.
Welton's driver's license had been revoked when he was arrested.
From jail, Welton, 53, told CBS4 he was not using the lawnmower to get around, but instead to take care of overgrown weeds.
"It was just surprising, it was just a total shock. What are you kidding me? I haven't been, I've been working, I have been mowing, I haven't been bar hopping," said Welton.
Standridge said deputies arrested Welton Tuesday night after getting 911 calls from concerned drivers.
"This is not a joke. As of date, we've had 25 fatalities on our roadways in Weld County, nine of which have been related to alcohol, so we're having zero tolerance on any type of unsafe traffic behavior, drinking and driving, driving while ability impaired, driving under the influence of marijuana or any other type of drug," said Standridge.
Weld County leads Colorado in traffic fatalities. The Weld County Sheriff's Office wants to change that statistic and prevent any more deaths.
"He's lucky he didn't hurt somebody or get himself hurt from somebody hitting him," said Standridge.
