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MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE PROCTOR, MINNESOTA 
Duluth News Tribune Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 61, of Proctor, Minn., was drunk when he crashed his customized La-Z-Boy chair into a car. 
The operator of a La-Z-Boy chair converted into a motorized vehicle -- complete with a stereo and cup holders -- has admitted that he crashed the piece of furniture after leaving a bar in Proctor, Minn., extremely drunk. Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 61, of Proctor, pleaded guilty Monday to hopping on the chair on the night of Aug. 31, 2008, after visiting the Keyboard Lounge, then crashing into a more traditional vehicle in the parking lot. Anderson's blood-alcohol content was 0.29 percent, more than three times the limit at which a driver is considered drunk in Minnesota. Deputy Police Chief Troy Foucault said yesterday that the chair is powered by a converted gasoline-powered lawnmower and has a steering wheel, headlights and a power antenna. He estimated that the La-Z-Boy can top out at 15 to 20 miles per hour. A National Hot Rod Association sticker adorns the headrest. Anderson admitted to police that he had been drinking at home and had drunk eight or nine beers that day before leaving the bar, getting on the La-Z-Boy and crashing it into a Dodge Intrepid parked outside, Foucault said. Anderson was treated at the scene for minor injuries and given a field sobriety test. "He failed everything" and was arrested, Foucault said. The officer on the scene found that Anderson's driver's license had been revoked because of a previous drunken-driving conviction. Anderson, who does auto-body repair work out of his home, was sentenced Monday to 180 days in the St. Louis County jail or at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, and he was fined $2,000. The jail time and half of the fine were suspended for two years of supervised probation, with conditions that include a chemical-dependency assessment, random testing and 30 days of electronic monitoring. Anderson's chair was impounded and will be sold at the next police auction.
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