Hunter
04/13/23
A Swisher man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after allegedly operating his riding mower on city streets to and from a grocery store to purchase beer, with an open cold one in the cup holder.
A Johnson County deputy reportedly observed 24-year-old Weston Christner operating a red riding lawnmower with an open container of alcohol on the lawnmower with him. He walked into Shelton’s Grocery on 2nd Street Southeast before a traffic stop could be initiated.
Christner left a short time later with a case of alcohol and a bag of ice. Upon contact, he allegedly showed signs of impairment, including bloodshot watery eyes and a strong odor of ingested alcohol. He was within the legal limit to operate a motorized vehicle when a PBT was performed, but a check of Christner’s driving record showed his license revoked for OWI test failure as of March 15th this year.
Because he was operating the riding mower on city roadways, Christner was charged with Driving while License Revoked, as well as for having an open container of alcohol. He could be sentenced to up to a year in jail if convicted.
KCJJ reported in November last year that Christner was arrested on Domestic Abuse Causing Injury charges after allegedly driving a woman’s head into a concrete road multiple times during an attack north of Lake MacBride. A pretrial conference is scheduled for April 21st, with jury trial still set for April 25th. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.