HAINES CITY, Fla. — A Haines City man was charged with his third DUI over the weekend after crashing a lawn mower into a Haines City Police Department vehicle.
- Haines City man, 68, charged with 3rd DUI on Saturday
- Gary Anderson accused of crashing mower into police vehicle
- Cops: His driver's license has been suspended since March 1978
The police department said in a news release that an officer was tending to a matter inside Rodriquez Fashion, located at 1100 U.S. 17-92 N., on Saturday when a man on a lawn mower crashed into the back of his patrol vehicle.
According to the report, the officer heard a loud noise and walked outside to find Gary Anderson, 68, on a lawn mower with an attached trailer and noticed minor damage to the rear of the police vehicle.
Anderson admitted to hitting the police vehicle and said he was drunk. Police said his demeanor ranged from laughing to aggressive.
After failing to complete the field sobriety tests, police said, Anderson was taken to the Haines City Police Department, where they said he claimed that he had been poisoned by police and asked to be taken to a hospital.
Anderson was then transported to Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Davenport, where he provided a breath sample. Police said his blood-alcohol concentration was .241, which is more than three times the legal limit.
There was also cocaine is his system, according to the report, which he accused police of putting into his system.
Police also said Anderson's driver's license has been suspended since March 1978 and that he has two previous DUI convictions, with the last one coming in 1987 in Osceola County.
