Man accused of driving motorized wheelchair drunk - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Man accused of driving motorized wheelchair drunk

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Raymond Kulma Raymond Kulma
UTICA, Mich. (WJBK) -

It was anything but a routine traffic stop.  Utica Police got a report of a man who allegedly stole a motorized wheelchair from a senior living complex.

Dash cam video shows police stopping him in a wheelchair about a quarter of a mile down the road.  When police questioned 55-year-old Raymond Kulma, he denied stealing it.

That would be the least of his problems.  Kulma is now charged with driving the wheelchair while drunk.

Police say Kulma and a friend got into a fight.  He says he was punched. 

Kulma, police say, got into the man's wheelchair and took off.

The Utica police chief says this is a warning to anyone in a motorized vehicle.  If you happen to be driving one and you're drunk, you could end up behind bars.

For Kulma, this wasn't his first time in jail for something like this.

"He's got six prior drunk driving offenses, so this will be his seventh offense," said Chief Dave Faber, who added all the other incidents were in a car.

Kulma is facing charges of operating while intoxicated, and because he has been down this road before with other arrests, he faces the possibility of a five year felony.

Even though Utica Police say Kulma stole that wheelchair away from his friend, they say they're not going to be pressing any charges because his friend decided he didn't want to.

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