A teenager in the UK has reportedly been charged with a string of offences following a “low-speed police chase involving a tractor”, according to local reports.
The 19-year-old man in question is set to face charges of drink driving, driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance and failing to stop for police when he is brought before the courts, according to The Northern Echo.
The youth is believed to have been arrested after police responded to reports of a stolen tractor from the Skelton area on Thursday, April 19.
The accused and another man, believed to be aged 30, abandoned the tractor and attempted to make a getaway on foot – but were caught and detained by officers, according to GazetteLive.
The 30-year-old was apparently released without charge, but the teenager was arrested and charged, the publication adds.
Cleveland Police confirmed to AgriLand that the teenager, Owen Collinson of Brotton Road in Carlin Howe, is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates Court on May 1. He is charged with driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above limit, driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance and failing to stop for police, a police spokesperson said.
Police chase after Kubota in New Zealand
Ironically, just three days earlier, a similar incident apparently occurred in New Zealand – where a sports club groundsman and his wife pursued a 15-year-old boy who had stolen the club’s Kubota tractor.
According to local publication The New Zealand Herald, Kiwi couple Mark and Pam Ottaway saw the tractor being driven away just after midnight on April 16. They reportedly gave chase in their car, phoning the police on the way.
The 90-minute chase that ensued, which eventually involved three police cars, went at a less-than-breakneck speed – as the 25hp Kubota B2710 had a top speed of 12kph.
The driver was tasered by police; the 15-year-old boy was later referred to police youth aid section on a number of allegations regarding the alleged theft and chase, The New Zealand Herald revealed.