Zamboni Driver Charged with DUI
A Zamboni driver in Minnesota was charged with driving under the influence while he was working at a youth hockey match.
A coach for one of the Peewee hockey teams dialed 911 on Monday after parents and several spectators witnessed 34-year-old Joel Buss weaving and crisscrossing on the ice as well as running into the boards around the rink on numerous occasions during the intermissions.
Reports also state that it took the inebriated Zamboni driver nearly half-an-hour to complete the job that normally takes 10 minutes, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune.
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When authorities finally made it to the hockey rink, Buss had already managed to drive the Zamboni into a garage area. While in the garage, police approached Buss and performed a field sobriety test, which he ultimately failed.
During the moments leading up to the game, coach Bryan Dornstreich observed that Buss had bloodshot eyes and that he smelled like Red Bull.
It did not occur to him that the man could have been intoxicated until after the hockey game when a concerned parent approached him stating the Buss was "weaving all over, slurring his words."
Buss was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Court records show he has three prior DUI convictions.
This is not the first time that a person operating a Zamboni had been arrested for operating the machine while under the influence of alcohol.
Surprisingly, a Judge in New Jersey recently overturned a DUI conviction against a man who was operating a Zamboni because, the judge explained, a Zamboni does not meet the definition of a motor vehicle under New Jersey law.
John Peragallo was slapped with a DUI after another employee told police that he was speeding and nearly crashed his Zamboni into the boards surrounding the ice rink.
The judge stated the Zamboni was not a "motor vehicle" because it was not usable on the highway and cannot carry passengers.
