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Drunk Ice Cream Man Almost Hits Child, Cops Say

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on February 24, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Some of us moan and groan when we hear the telltale song of an approaching ice cream truck. The parents out there need to fend off the whining, and the dieters have to resist the temptation.

But do any of us really hope the truck is manned by a drunk ice cream man?

Probably not, but a Tampa Bay neighborhood reportedly got just that this week when Ronald Purdy, a Tampa area ice cream man, nearly ran his ice cream truck into a child. He had a blood alcohol content level of .227 percent--nearly three times the legal limit.

Turns out that someone witnessed the erratic driving of Ronald Purdy--probably confused that he was going over two miles per hour--and called 911 to report the errant ice cream truck. When police arrived, the drunk ice cream man staggered from his truck, reports The Washington Post. Purdy also recited his birthday when officers asked for his address.

Upon further inspection, officers found two open bottles of whiskey in the Sub Zero Ice Cream truck, details NBC Miami.

So what can we learn from the story of Ronald Purdy? Well, besides the fact that you can be hauled in for driving under the influence even when moving at a snail's pace? It's clearly no longer disputable that working with children can drive a person to drink--the story of the drunk ice cream man has proven the assertion to be true.

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