Man Stopped In Keys For Driving Construction Vehicle, Said He 'Liked It'

"I like it," a man said when asked by authorities why he was driving a stolen construction vehicle in the Florida Keys Wednesday morning (September 24), Local 10 reported.

Deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office pulled Christopher Paul Hawkins, 35, over around 1:35 a.m. in the Florida Keys.

Hawkins was driving heavy machinery with no lights on U.S. 1 near Mile Marker 30. Police identified the equipment as a "Leeboy 685B grader."

A deputy recognized Hawkins when he approached him, adding that he saw the 35-year-old walking just moments before along the same road.

The vehicle "was part of a road construction project underway just a few hundred feet from where Hawkins was stopped," according to Local 10.

The deputy said Hawkins had trouble standing and appeared to be intoxicated.

Hawkins said he didn't remember how much he had to drink and denied driving the grader. He added that his pickup truck was parked at a bar on Little Torch Key.

"The deputy walked to the construction site where he saw a path left by the vehicle and noted that when Hawkins took the grader, he damaged the sidewalk and the roadway," according to Local 10.

Hawkins was jailed and faces charges of driving while under the influence, driving while under the influence with property damage, driving with a suspended license and criminal mischief.

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