Police arrested a Winchester man Sunday after he was seen driving down Aubrey Lane on his riding lawn mower while intoxicated with a 6-year-old passenger.
Jeffrey S. Hayes, 49, of 7 Wilson Lane, is now facing charges of second-degree wanton endangerment and driving under the influence (second offense).
According to court documents, Winchester Police received two calls Sunday evening after people saw him driving the mower with an alcoholic drink and a child aboard. In his arrest citation, Officer Zach Conlee said he found Hayes standing along Aubrey Lane and “could tell he was intoxicated.”
Conlee said he warned Hayes not to be driving and left. While Conlee was sitting at a stop sign on Aubrey Lane, he said he saw Hayes driving down the middle of the road on a 14-horsepower riding lawn mower with a child in his lap.
Conlee said Hayes had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. After attempting several field sobriety tests, Hayes told officers he couldn’t complete them. A Breathalyzer test indicated his blood-alcohol level was .222, nearly three times the threshold of 0.08 for a driving under the influence charge.
Hayes was arrested and lodged in the Clark County Detention Center.
Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com.
