Tennessee Man Arrested, Charged With DUI & Possession Of Meth While Driving Kids On 'Santa's Train'
Christmas parade season has officially arrived. It's that special time of year when parents looking for something to do for a couple of hours with their kids head out to Main Street in their local town.
Once there, they drink hot chocolate and watch the Christmas tree lighting. Then comes the parade where Santa Claus rides through on a float.
On occasion there's someone working the parade, or the pre-parade festivities, that gets a touch too into the holiday spirit. That was the case over the weekend in Tazewell, Tennessee when the man operating "Santa's Train" at the town's Christmas Tractor Parade ended up getting a DUI.
Tennessee man arrested for DUI and meth possession (Image Credit: FOX 8)
The Tazewell Police Department says that Henry Meade, who was driving a motorized lawn mower pulling carts full of kids and their families, was acting erratically. Visitors at the event notified them of his behavior and several officer confronted him.
Officers noted that Meade was unsteady on his feet so they conducted a field sobriety test. The test determined that he was under the influence. The conductor of Santa's Train was then taken into custody.
That's when officers found him in possession of a syringe, meth, and several other narcotics. As bad as a conductor under the influence, and in possession of meth sounds, the mayor would like everyone to know that nobody was in any danger.
Credit To This Tennessee Man For Adding Some Adventure To The Pre-Parade Festivities
Well, first the mayor made sure to point out, in a joint statement with the town's police chief, that the city didn't hire Meade. No, independently contracted vendors are to blame.
Even so, there were plenty of officers working the event should this sort of thing play out. Again, according to the mayor, nobody was ever in harm's way.
"Despite this, the Tazewell Police Department responded swiftly to the incident, ensuring the safety of event attendees. The rapid action taken by our law enforcement underscores our commitment to public safety," the joint statement read.
"It is important to note that in a 1/8-mile radius on Main Street during the event we had 14 police officers on foot patrol for several thousands attendees. Public safety is paramount on any day at any time and this event was no different."
Meade faces charges for driving under the influence, possession of methamphetamine, as well as other drug-related charges.
What a start to the Christmas parade season.