Drunk man rams stolen lawnmower into school bus

Middle school students on a bus in Ocklawaha got the giggles on Wednesday afternoon. But the man they were laughing at failed to see the humour - or the bus, apparently. Ron Martin, 29, was arrested on a charge of drunken driving after authorities and witnesses say he rammed a riding lawmower into the back of the stopped school bus.

The crash caused the mower to tip, Martin and his riding companion to fall off, and the kids who witnessed it all to commence chuckling. The students' reaction prompted an enraged Martin to mount an unsuccessful attempt to board the bus, authorities say. The occupants were from Lake Weir Middle School.

Martin had a strong odour of alcohol on his breath, his eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred, deputy Abigale Rodriguez reported. The deputy noticed Martin and Charlene Mallorey on the mower in the westbound lane. They apparently were using the mower as a means of transportation. The Ocklawaha man was unsteady on his feet and unwilling to cooperate, so the deputy arrested him.



Mallorey, 30, told the deputy that Martin had tipped the mower and they fell off, making the children on the bus laugh. She said Martin walked over to the bus and began banging on the doors, demanding to get onboard.

Another deputy talked with the bus driver, who confirmed the crash and Martin's subsequent efforts to climb aboard. While en route to the jail, Martin threatened the deputy and repeatedly hit his head on the metal cage in her patrol car, a report said. At the jail, he refused to submit to a breath test. He was held on charges of DUI, threat to a public servant and criminal mischief.

The lawnmower, a Scag Turf Tiger model with a 61-inch cutting deck, is valued at $10,000. It had been reported stolen Wednesday morning from a residence in the 11400 block of Southeast 132nd Place in Ocklawaha.