Apple Valley Zamboni driver charged with DWI
The Apple Valley man accused of operating a Zamboni while drunk at a youth hockey event has been charged with DWI.
Joel Bruss, 34, was charged last week with four counts of driving while impaired in connection with the Jan. 30 incident at Hayes Arena in Apple Valley.
Parents at the arena contacted police during the peewee hockey game to report that Bruss, a part-time city employee, was driving the Zamboni erratically and appeared to be intoxicated.
When officers arrived on the scene, they observed Bruss struggling to maneuver the Zamboni, as he’d gotten the ice-resurfacing machine stuck half on and half off the ice, according to police.
Police say Bruss was unsteady on his feet and smelled of alcohol; he failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for DWI.
The complaint against Bruss states that his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.32, four times the legal limit for driving.
Bruss has been suspended from his job with the city, according to a Pioneer Press report.
Bruss has three prior convictions for DWI – two in 1999 and one in 2002.
—Andrew Miller
