DWI Chair Auctioned on eBay
Last month, 47 year old Dennis L. Anderson of northern Minnesota pleaded guilty to a drunk driving charge he incurred late last year. However, while most people charged with drunk driving will be in some sort of automobile, Anderson's crime was committed in a motorized chair! That's right, you read correctly. Supposedly, this chair can reach speeds of around 40 miles per hour and even pop wheelies! Complete with front and rear lights, a cup-holder, and even a stereo system, this motorized beast is powered by a lawnmower engine.
One night late last year, Anderson was giving a female companion a ride home from a bar, where he consumed approximately nine beers, and while in motion, the chair popped a wheelie and ejected the two from the seat, at which point the chair slammed right into a parked car! Local authorities confiscated the vehicle and figured out a way to make some money with it. Auction it off on eBay. The original post was listed as a Motorized La-Z-Boy. However, being as how the chair is associated with a DWI, La-Z-Boy brand insisted the chair is not a La-Z-Boy and that the title must be changed. At that point, the bidding was around topped around $43,000.
After rewriting the auction ad, the term La-Z-Boy was dropped and the new description reads, “DWI Chair, Motorized Chair, Racing Chair.” Currently, the bid is up to $10,099.99. This number seems solid, but police are upset due to the immense deficit in what the chair could've initially sold for in the first attempt to auction it off. Below is the listing as it appears on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150385696050&viewitem=
Item Number: 150385696050
Vehicle Description
DWI Motorized Chair, year built unknown. This is a unique vehicle located in Proctor, Minnesota. The vehicle has been obtained from a DWI forfeiture and has not been restored. Engine: Briggs and Stratton Model # 19070 Type: 5641 with electric start. Transmission type unknown and is sloppy - needs work. The vehicle has front lights, rear tag light, radio, cup holder, rear roll bars and other custom options, missing the seat cushion. Curb weight of vehicle is unknown, length is 52” and width is 45”. This is a great parade vehicle or a terrific business draw. Be the only one in town with a unique vehicle like this. This is not a street legal vehicle.
Outraged that his concept is being capitalized on by local authorities, who just so happen to be running exceptionally low on funding, Anderson has expressed interest/intentions of creating another model. He's been quoted as saying, “I’m a build a bigger, better one.” Hopefully he'll maintain a legal BAC next time he operates one of these motorized contraptions.
