FRANKLIN, Ind. – A Franklin man was arrested Saturday for driving a riding lawn mower while intoxicated, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers came in contact with 46-year-old Barry Ridge after being called to the 5600 block of County Road 100 North on a report of a suspicious person shortly after 5 p.m. The caller said a man riding a red lawn mower pulled into his yard and began to mow his grass. When the caller told him to get off his property, Ridge reportedly took off down the street.
When officers located Ridge, they say his eyes “appeared glassy” and he admitted to drinking three beers that afternoon.
Officers then performed field sobriety tests on Ridge, which he failed, according to a probable cause affidavit. A preliminary breath test showed he had a blood alcohol level of .189, the affidavit says.
Ridge was then taken into custody and transported to the Johnson County Jail and charged with driving under the influence.
The sheriff’s office says this also isn’t the first time Ridge has been arrested for being intoxicated on a mower. He’s currently awaiting trial on an OWI arrest from April 8, where he was “causing a disturbance” on a lawnmower in the parking lot of a Kroger, according to the affidavit.
According to the sheriff’s office, Ridge has a prior conviction for OWI out of Marion County from September 2013.
