Florida Man Arrested for DUI After Riding Lawn Mower on Suncoast Parkway

A Florida man was arrested Friday morning after troopers say he was seen driving a lawn mower erratically along a major toll road in the Tampa Bay area.

The Florida Highway Patrol said dispatchers began receiving calls around 8:30 a.m. from drivers who reported a man operating a lawn mower in an unsafe manner on the southbound side of the Suncoast Parkway (State Road 589).

Traffic cameras later captured the mower traveling south from Citrus County into Hernando County. Troopers stopped the rider just past the U.S. 98 exit.

The driver, identified as 38-year-old Christopher Spain, displayed several signs of impairment, including constricted pupils, flushed skin, dry mouth, and irritation inside his nose, according to FHP. Troopers also found a small blue straw in his back pocket and noted that he frequently cleared his throat, sniffed, and spit during the stop.

Spain refused to perform field sobriety tests and was taken into custody on a charge of driving under the influence.