Elyria man charged with DUI in dump truck

ELYRIA, Ohio - A man from Elyria was arrested and charged with driving a dump truck while intoxicated over the weekend near the Midway Mall.

Elyria police said a call came around 9 p.m. Friday reporting that two intoxicated men who were lying in the parking lot of the Harry Buffalo sports bar hopped into a dump truck and drove south on West River Road.

An officer spotted the truck, saw the driver weaving and flashed his lights to pull the truck over. At that point, police said the driver, 23-year-old Justin Knotts, of Elyria, stopped the truck, opened the driver’s side door and took off running.

Elyria police chased Knotts until he ran into a gas meter near some apartment buildings, and that’s when an officer tackled him and placed him under arrest.

Officers said Knotts told them he ran because he couldn’t afford another ticker or being arrested. He also told police he had two shots of Patron, Pucker and Red Bull, plus two beers at Harry Buffalo before driving. A background check showed that Knotts’ license was suspended, police said.

While at the police station, officers said Knotts’ eyes were extremely bloodshot and glassy, and he smelled of alcohol. Knotts told officers he was not intoxicated, but refused to take a breath test because he thought he would blow over the legal limit.

Knotts was charged with disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated. He was released until his court hearing.