A man accused of drunkenly driving a stolen skid steer into the Best Western Pioneer motel in Lusk could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The case against Michael France was elevated to felony-level court this week, according to Niobrara County Circuit Court documents made available Thursday.
Now, the case is headed to felony-level district court after France waived his Tuesday preliminary hearing.
He’s charged with grand theft and misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol.
Asked about the incident Thursday, longtime motel general manager Christina Pacheco said that, “People do stupid things when they’re drunk."
‘Moved And Shook'
Pacheco was working the front desk at the Best Western Pioneer just before midnight May 7 when confused and irritated customers started filtering into the lobby asking why the building had suddenly “moved and shook,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
When Pacheco stepped outside, she found a crowd gathered near the motel where a skid-steer had gouged into the brick exterior wall, leaving fresh damage behind.
By then, someone had already called 911.
Witnesses at the scene told Pacheco the operator of the skid steer struck the building two or three times.
The Covered Wagon
The manager said she'd been at the motel for 18 years and never seen anything like it before, "Never ever, ever."
By the time police arrived, France was no longer in the driver's seat of the skid steer.
He was found in the Covered Wagon parking lot at a different motel nearby, leaning against the side of a white van in an orange sweatshirt, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in his case.
A witness at the scene told police France had been operating the skid steer when it plowed into the motel, but France denied it.
Lusk Police Department Officer Jeremiah Fink wrote in his affidavit that France smelled of alcohol and "his eyes were bloodshot." He added that France was slurring his language and he struggled to maintain his balance.
"I was worried M. France would fall and hurt himself if I asked him to complete the one leg and walk and turn test, so I opted to not have him attempt to complete those two tests," wrote Fink.
Dispatch would later confirm that France did not have a valid driver's license.
$40,000 Joyride
France agreed to take a preliminary breath test and blew a 0.15% blood alcohol content, says the affidavit, nearly twice Wyoming’s legal driving limit of 0.08%.
Investigators talked to the owner of the skid steer, who told them he had last seen the $40,000 tractor at the fairgrounds earlier that day around noon.
He said it had been left there to help with an auction event and he had not given France permission to take it.
France was arrested and taken to jail and held on an initial $10,000 cash-only bond that was amended Tuesday to $500.
France waived his preliminary hearing, and his case now moves to District Court where he will next appear for an arraignment to make a plea.
Pacheco said she has sympathy for France.
"I feel sorry for this guy, but praise God nobody was hurt and he didn't hit any vehicles,” she said. "This could have been really, really bad.”
The motel is still waiting on repairs to damaged brickwork and busted pool lights, she said.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
