Proctor Journal

Within the next few weeks the motorized La-Z-Boy that received international attention will be auctioned.

The Proctor police department is receiving emails from as far as both coasts who are interested in the contraption.

Calls and emails were still coming into the Proctor Police Department Friday following the guilty plea of a Proctor man who pleaded guilty to crashing his motorized La-Z-Boy chair into a Dodge Intrepid.

A man from Massachusetts wrote that he was prepared to offer a bid of $500 to start the action for the La-z-boy. Another wrote that he represents a group of “racers” who wants to buy the chair. “We reside outside of Minnesota. Therefore I can assure you that if my bid is successful the chair will no longer be a menace to your town.”

Reporters from The Times of Britain, Court TV, National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, a number of .com sites, and state and area media wanted to know about the chair. At one-point it was the most viewed story on NPR. The story on NPR attracted 17 comments.

People said:

• it’s a step up from the guy who got arrested driving a motorized bar stool.

• all that is needed is a gun rack.

• you have to admit the ingenuity, determination, and creativity it tool to produce this work of art and mobility.

• if you get a DWI driving a la-z-boy, you may be a redneck.

• what about real drunk drivers.

• penalties should be proportional to vehicle weight or horsepower.

Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 62, could be seen driving his chair, equipped with wheel, headlights, cup holders and a power antenna for the stereo, in downtown Proctor during the summer.

Anderson who does auto body repair work out of his home, also added pin striping and a National Hot Rod Association stickers both sides of the chair.

However, after leaving the Keyboard Lounge on Aug. 31, 2008 and after admitting to drinking up to nine beers, he smashed his furniture into a car. Proctor Officer Doug Bolander responded to what he though was a traditional traffic accident. Bolander said he was just doing his job. Anderson’s blood-alcohol contest was 1.29 percent, more than three times the legal limit.

“We never want to show favoritism,” said Police Chief Walter Wobig. “We have confiscated luxury cars to Junkers, 4-wheel drives, pick-ups, snowmobiles and trailers. But, we never expected anything like this.”

For the past 13 months the chair has been impounded in the police garage. Anderson, who had his driver’s license revoked because of a previous drunken-driving conviction, was sentenced to 180 days in the St. Louis County jail or at the Northeast Regional Correction Center and was fined $2,000. The jail time and half the fine was stayed for two years with supervised probation.