Police Say Drunk Lusk Man Rammed Stolen Skid Steer Into Local Motel

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. Michael France waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday, and his case is now headed to felony-level district court. He is charged with grand theft and misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol.

Longtime motel general manager Christina Pacheco was working the front desk just before midnight May 7 when confused and irritated customers started filtering into the lobby asking why the building had suddenly “moved and shook.” When she stepped outside, she found a crowd gathered near a skid steer that had gouged into the brick exterior wall, leaving fresh damage. Witnesses told her the operator struck the building two or three times. “People do stupid things when they’re drunk,” Pacheco said. “This could have been really, really bad.”

By the time police arrived, France was no longer in the driver’s seat. He was found at the Covered Wagon motel parking lot nearby, leaning against a white van in an orange sweatshirt, according to an affidavit of probable cause. A witness told police France had been operating the skid steer when it plowed into the motel, but France denied it. Lusk Police Officer Jeremiah Fink wrote that France smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, he was slurring his language, and he struggled to maintain his balance. Dispatch confirmed that France did not have a valid driver’s license.

France agreed to a preliminary breath test and blew a 0.15% blood alcohol content, nearly twice Wyoming’s legal driving limit of 0.08%. The owner of the $40,000 skid steer told investigators he had last seen the tractor at the fairgrounds earlier that day around noon. It had been left there to help with an auction event, and he had not given France permission to take it.

France was initially held on a $10,000 cash-only bond, which was amended Tuesday to $500. 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. The motel is still waiting on repairs to damaged brickwork and busted pool lights. France will next appear in District Court for an arraignment to enter a plea.