Aurora police: Man on lawn tractor was driving drunk on road

A Montgomery man has been charged with driving drunk while operating a lawn tractor on an Aurora road.

Ruben L. Garza, 50, of the 1000 block of Wellman Avenue, faces charges of driving under the influence, no registration and no insurance stemming from an incident Friday in which he was operating a John Deere lawn tractor on the street, Aurora police said.

An officer was sent to the area of Fifth Street and Ashland Avenue on the city's southeast side at about 3:40 p.m. for a man who was driving the tractor on the roadway, police said. One witness said the man, later identified as Garza, appeared drunk and looked like he was falling asleep. The witness said the man also stopped to urinate in a yard on the 400 block of Ashland before getting back on his tractor, almost striking a parked vehicle and yelling at people as he drove.

The officer found Garza in the 1100 block of Lebanon Street, told him to turn the tractor off, and smelled alcohol on Garza and noticed slurred speech during questioning, police said.

Garza eventually became belligerent and said he did not believe he could be charged with DUI because he was riding a lawn tractor. Garza then began to swear at the officer, threatened him but was eventually brought under control, arrested, and his tractor impounded, police said.

He is due in court Dec. 4.

According to court records, Garza does not have any previous DUIs in Kane County but was charged in March 2008 with felony aggravated battery to an Aurora police officer and resisting arrest. He eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of resisting arrest and was sentenced to 18 months of probation and fined $500.