DEMOREST, Ga. — A Demorest man is accused of taking a 30-ton excavator for an after-hours joy ride down Old Athens Highway on Friday night.
Habersham County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 66-year-old Danny Ross Robinson shortly before 8 p.m. on October 17 and charged him with driving under the influence and theft by taking a motor vehicle.
Deputies say Robinson drove off in a Komatsu PC 290 LC excavator that crews had parked on Happy Tails Way, the gravel access road leading to the new Habersham County Animal Shelter beside South Habersham Middle School.
Around 7:45 p.m., callers to Habersham County E-911 reported the excavator moving slowly down Old Athens Highway. When deputies and emergency crews arrived, they found the heavy equipment stopped in a private driveway about a half-mile from the job site, the sheriff’s office said.
During the ride, the excavator damaged one mailbox but avoided hitting any buildings or vehicles. Its boom came to rest just inches below overhead utility wires.
Unexpected sight
Ronny Nhothkhamdy of Habersham said he and some friends heard a loud noise going down the road and went to investigate. That’s when they saw the excavator traveling down the road in the dark without lights.
“We actually chased him down and called the cops,” Nhothkhamdy told Now Habersham.
Deputies say no one was hurt, and the excavator was not damaged.
The Komatsu machine, which runs on tracks, measures about 11 feet wide and can reach a top speed of just over 3 miles per hour, according to manufacturer specifications.
