Crime & Public Safety

Georgia man gets DUI on motorized wheelchair

Oct 21, 2015

Georgia law says its illegal to operate “any moving vehicle” while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

As Danny Wayne Mitchell learned last week, that includes motorized wheelchairs.

Mitchell, 48, was cited Friday for DUI and public drunkeness following an incident outside a Georgia grocery store. Local police were called to the scene after an SUV hit his Rascal 300 scooter, according to an incident report.

Responding officers found a disheveled Mitchell “backing into the building and over plants” in his wheelchair.

Mitchell told an officer he had taken the anti-anxiety medication Valium, the anti-depressant trazadone and “consumed a pint of alcohol.”

Mitchell submitted to a breath test, the results of which were redacted from the incident report. He was cited and taken to the hospital.

“Mitchell’s electric wheelchair was secured at Conyers Police Department for safe keeping,” the incident report said.

On Tuesday, Mitchell told WSB-TV Atlanta that he can barely walk and was at the grocery store Friday to get a prescription filled.

“I was out of medication,” he said. “So I had me a drink.”

About the Author

Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.

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