DUI Issued after Man Crashes Scooter in Palm Bay

A troubled man living in Palm Bay was arrested on DUI charges this past Thursday after reports came in to the Palm Bay Police Department about an individual who had crashed their motor scooter while trying to catch their dog that had previously jumped out of a paper sack.

It was around 1:00 in the afternoon when those who called the police saw the 61-year-old man on his scooter, holding a paper shopping bag on his lap as he drove down Bay Lakes Boulevard.  A small dog, who was not named in the report, was inside of the bag.  At a certain point, the dog realized they did not want to be in the bag any longer, so they jumped out.

The man wanted the dog back in the bag, and so he slowed down the scooter and attempted a standard dismount.  The challenge proved slightly more involved than the man anticipated, and the scooter fell over, causing the man to also fall and suffer some unpleasant scrapes along his elbows and knees.

An officer with the Palm Bay Police Department told reporters that there was a strong alcohol scent coming from the man’s clothes and mouth.  When asked, he told the officers that he had indeed consumed two ounces of vodka after mixing it with cranberry juice and ice earlier in the day, at perhaps 10:00 in the morning.

The man also indicated that the he was on the scooter with the dog in the bag because the dog had a veterinary appointment.

Palm Bay Police Department officers arrested the man after he failed a field sobriety test.  A blood sample taken later in the day indicated that his BAC was at 0.094%, well above the 0.08 legal limit.  Additionally, the man was already avoiding an outstanding warrant relating to a probation violation connected to charges of felony battery from Sarasota County.  It seems that in 2015 he had  attacked two individuals with a double-headed ax.

The Palm Bay Police took him to a jail in Brevard County, where he is currently being held without bond.

The condition of the dog was not included in the report.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.