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A 66-year-old Demorest man was arrested Friday night after deputies say he took a 30-ton excavator for an intoxicated joyride from a county construction site and drove it down Old Athens Highway.
Danny Ross Robinson is charged with driving under the influence and theft by taking a motor vehicle, according to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.
Callers to Habersham County E-911 reported the slow-moving Komatsu PC 290 LC excavator traveling on the highway shortly after 7:45 p.m. The machine had been parked after hours on Happy Tails Way, the gravel road leading to the new Habersham County Animal Shelter next to South Habersham Middle School.
Deputies found the excavator stopped in a private driveway about a half-mile from the job site. The boom was positioned just inches below overhead utility wires along the roadway.
Only one mailbox was damaged, officials said. The excavator did not hit any vehicles or buildings, and no injuries were reported.
The hydraulic machine runs on tracks, is roughly 11 feet wide and has a top speed of about 3.4 miles per hour, according to manufacturer specifications.
Authorities have not said how Robinson accessed or started the excavator after hours, whether additional charges are possible for property damage, or if security changes will be made at the animal shelter construction site.
Officials have not released Robinson’s blood-alcohol level or said if this was his first such offense.
