The sight of a giant ice cream cone would likely catch anyone's attention. But what caught a local Pennsylvania patrolman's eye was not necessarily the huge ice cream cone but rather the vehicle it was attached to.

The driver of the ice cream truck was allegedly weaving out of his lane so the patrolman pulled him over. He administered a breath test; the results showed that the man's blood-alcohol content level almost three times greater than the state's legal limit. He was arrested and charged with drunk driving, his first offense.

But the story became national news after it was reported that the man allegedly stashed wine and a frozen bottle of urine in the truck. Those allegations appear to be unfounded; the patrolman does not recall those items being in the vehicle. He does remember two bottles in the vehicle, but could not confirm that there was anything in them.

Typically penalties for a drunk driving conviction can include a prison sentence, fines, and a license suspension. If the person has multiple offenses, the penalties can be more severe. Even if the conviction is the result of a one-time mistake, the consequences can be far-reaching.

But the ice cream truck driver chose a different route. He waived his preliminary hearing and is opting instead to participate in the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition program. This program helps first-time nonviolent offenders keep the conviction off their record. If an ARD participant does not get into any additional arrests or charges while in the program, the conviction is taken off his or her record.

Source: phillburbs.com, "DUI ice cream man waives hearing," Jo Ciavaglia, 02 June 2011