A zamboni driver in Fargo, North Dakota was arrested Friday night for driving the ice resurfacing machine while allegedly drunk.
Steve Anderson, 27, a seasonal worker for the Fargo Park District, was reportedly driving “erratically” and hit the boards while cleaning the ice prior to a high school girls hockey game between Davies and Williston. Police were called to the scene and arrested Anderson.
“I’ve been here for 22 years … and we have not had an incident like this before,” said Jim Larson, a director with the Fargo Park District.
The girls hockey game went on, but according to inforum.com, the teams decided to play on “rough” ice rather than wait for a replacement zamboni driver.
Fargo Police Lt. Joel Vettel said even though the arrested Zamboni driver was not on a public street, North Dakota law dictates anybody operating a motor vehicle while heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol be arrested…
Vettel said the charge Anderson faces might change once the case reaches the courts because of the unusual circumstances.
“It’s gonna come down to an attorney making a judgment based on their professional opinion,” Vettel said. “But certainly the officers at that point made a decision based on their observations and their interpretations of the law, that it was appropriate to arrest him for DUI.”
