Motorized recliner incident
Encyclopedia
In October 2009, Dennis LeRoy Anderson of Proctor
, Minnesota
received wide attention for being arrested in a DWI
case involving a motorized recliner. Anderson crashed into a car after leaving a local bar, where he had drunk a number of beers. The driver was convicted and the chair was confiscated by the police. The police auctioned the recliner away on Do-Bid.com for $3,700, which was much less than the price it had originally seemed to generate. Though widely reported to be a La-Z-Boy
, the chair was in fact not of this brand.
, Minnesota
, after having drunk eight or nine beers, and crashed into a car in the parking lot. When the police picked him up, his blood alcohol content
was measured at 0.29 percent. Anderson was sentenced to 180 days in jail and was fined $2,000. The jail time, and half the fine, was made probational
.
According to Minnesota law, a "motor vehicle" is taken to mean "every vehicle that is self-propelled and every vehicle that is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires." This means that a driver of any motorized vehicle, even a recliner, is liable under DWI legislation. Anderson's blood alcohol content was three times over the legal limit for the state. In addition to this, vehicles can also be confiscated if the driver has a blood alcohol level over 0.2, or has a prior DWI conviction from the last 10 years. Anderson, in addition to having a blood alcohol level well over that limit, also had a prior conviction.
, as a motorized La-Z-Boy
. The auction was meant to run for five days, with an opening bid at $500. By November 2 one day before bidding was supposed to end the item had reached $43,700. At this point, the police department was contacted by representatives from the La-Z-Boy corporation. The company pointed out that the chair in question was not in fact a product of La-Z-Boy, and requested that the description of the item be changed. The police, who had simply used the same description employed by the media, complied with the chair manufacturer's request. At this point, however, eBay pulled the item from their listings, and bidding had to start over again.
The chair was finally auctioned off successfully for a third time. A Duluth area resident placed the winning $3,700 bid. The chair had been put up for online auction twice before, but those sales fell through.
Only weeks later a similar episode occurred in Newark
, Ohio
. 29-year-old Kile Wygle was convicted on DWI charges after crashing with his motorized bar stool. Wygle also intended to auction off the chair.
Proctor, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,852 people, 1,196 households, and 772 families residing in the city. The population density was 942.8 people per square mile . There were 1,246 housing units at an average density of 411.9 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
received wide attention for being arrested in a DWI
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
case involving a motorized recliner. Anderson crashed into a car after leaving a local bar, where he had drunk a number of beers. The driver was convicted and the chair was confiscated by the police. The police auctioned the recliner away on Do-Bid.com for $3,700, which was much less than the price it had originally seemed to generate. Though widely reported to be a La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy Incorporated is a furniture manufacturer based in Monroe, Michigan, USA which makes home furniture, including upholstered recliners, sofas, stationary chairs, and sleeper sofas...
, the chair was in fact not of this brand.
Incident
62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson had fitted his recliner with a lawnmower engine, wheels and steering wheel, and the chair could reach as much as 20 miles (32 km) per hour. He had also installed a stereo, cup holders, headlights and a power antenna. On August 31, 2009, he left a local bar in ProctorProctor, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,852 people, 1,196 households, and 772 families residing in the city. The population density was 942.8 people per square mile . There were 1,246 housing units at an average density of 411.9 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, after having drunk eight or nine beers, and crashed into a car in the parking lot. When the police picked him up, his blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
was measured at 0.29 percent. Anderson was sentenced to 180 days in jail and was fined $2,000. The jail time, and half the fine, was made probational
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
According to Minnesota law, a "motor vehicle" is taken to mean "every vehicle that is self-propelled and every vehicle that is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires." This means that a driver of any motorized vehicle, even a recliner, is liable under DWI legislation. Anderson's blood alcohol content was three times over the legal limit for the state. In addition to this, vehicles can also be confiscated if the driver has a blood alcohol level over 0.2, or has a prior DWI conviction from the last 10 years. Anderson, in addition to having a blood alcohol level well over that limit, also had a prior conviction.
Auction
On October 29, Proctor police put the seized chair up for auction on eBayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, as a motorized La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy Incorporated is a furniture manufacturer based in Monroe, Michigan, USA which makes home furniture, including upholstered recliners, sofas, stationary chairs, and sleeper sofas...
. The auction was meant to run for five days, with an opening bid at $500. By November 2 one day before bidding was supposed to end the item had reached $43,700. At this point, the police department was contacted by representatives from the La-Z-Boy corporation. The company pointed out that the chair in question was not in fact a product of La-Z-Boy, and requested that the description of the item be changed. The police, who had simply used the same description employed by the media, complied with the chair manufacturer's request. At this point, however, eBay pulled the item from their listings, and bidding had to start over again.
The chair was finally auctioned off successfully for a third time. A Duluth area resident placed the winning $3,700 bid. The chair had been put up for online auction twice before, but those sales fell through.
Only weeks later a similar episode occurred in Newark
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. 29-year-old Kile Wygle was convicted on DWI charges after crashing with his motorized bar stool. Wygle also intended to auction off the chair.