Man Convicted Of Drunk Driving For Lawn Mower Ride

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gavelgoodtouse-42

It took a Cass County jury about ten minutes to conclude that driving a riding lawnmower while intoxicated is enough to warrant a drunk driving conviction. Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz tells us the case involves 32-year-old Steven Bakeman of Dowagiac. The prosecutor says Bakeman was arrested the night of June 11 when sheriff’s deputies found him riding a John Deere lawnmower down Middle Crossing Road in Silver Creek Township. The deputies had been called to the area by nearby children concerned about Bakeman’s level of drinking. When deputies found him on the mower on the dark road, it had no lights. The prosecutor says Bakeman failed to complete a field sobriety test and his blood alcohol level tested for more than three times the legal limit. A trial this week ended with a unanimous guilty verdict from the jury on a charge of operating while intoxicated. It was his third drunk driving conviction, and he faces up to five years in prison.