MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — An Apple Valley man accused of driving a zamboni while drunk had a blood alcohol content of 0.32, according to a criminal complaint.
Police say they were dispatched around 8 p.m. Jan. 30 to Hayes Ice Arena in Apple Valley, where witnesses reported seeing 34-year-old Joel Keith Bruss driving the zamboni while intoxicated.
The witnesses said the driver missed portions of the ice with the machine and had been running into the boards around the rink. They also said he smelled of alcohol.
An officer approached Bruss, who appeared to have gotten the zamboni stuck and was attempting to get it back on track. The officer approached Bruss, while he was still seated on the machine, and detected a strong odor of alcohol. Police asked Bruss to come off the zamboni and noted that he was having troubles balancing, according to the complaint.
Bruss admitted to police he was drinking before coming to work. He was asked to perform some field sobriety tests, which police say he performed “poorly.”
Bruss was placed under arrest and transported to the Apple Valley Police Department. He submitted a urine test, which later revealed an alcohol concentration of 0.32.
Bruss has been charged with four counts of driving while impaired.
A review of Bruss’ driving record revealed he was convicted of a DUI in 2003 and two other DUIs, with an alcohol concentration of more than .20 from 1999 from two separate incidents.
