3rd DUI Arrest for Man in Motorized Wheelchair

While most people charged with DUI are found intoxicated behind the wheel of a car or truck, it seems hitting the road drunk while operating a motorized wheelchair can produce the same result.

At least that was the case in Palm Bay on Monday evening. Police there say a 54-year-old man was charged with his third DUI after he was found operating his wheelchair while intoxicated. Police were alerted to the action after the man allegedly blocked traffic along a bridge.

When police arrived on the scene, they noticed signs of impairment and could smell the odor of alcohol, several media outlets have reported. The man in the wheelchair turned out to be rather uncooperative and refused to take a breath test.

Under the circumstances, police opted to charge Ronny Scott Hicks with DUI, wheelchair or not.

See Also:

• Periscope App Led Cops to Alleged Drunk Driver

Hicks, as it turns out, is no stranger to the inside of the Brevard County Jail. He’s been charged with DUI on two other occasions in the last 10 years, according to court records. This alleged third offense is a third-degree felony in the state of Florida.

Hicks was released from jail Wednesday morning after posting $5,000 bond, jail records indicate.

It is unclear what Hicks was driving during his other two arrests.

Hicks’ alleged DUI isn’t the only unusual alcohol-related arrest made in Florida in recent days. Police in Lakeland arrested a 23-year-old woman on Saturday after she was accused of live streaming herself driving impaired. The woman, police said, broadcast herself via the app Periscope.

Police there were called about the live stream and one officer use the app to determine where within the city the woman was driving. It didn’t take officers long to find the woman, who was driving a Toyota with a flat tire.

Booking photo courtesy of the Brevard County Jail