Formula One drivers these days are a fairly tame bunch compared with some of the bad boys of old. Scrapes with the law tend to be limited to the occasional driving offence (as Lewis Hamilton found out in Australia last year) or some Kimi Raikkonen-style high jinks. But Motocross and Supercross star James "Bubba" Stewart showed the old spirit lives in the USA.
Early last week Stewart had shown a marked lack of common sense when he used red and blue lights on his off-road truck to pull over another vehicle that unfortunately for him contained two off-duty troopers. When it became clear he had overstepped the mark, Stewart allegedly fled the scene and was eventually arrested at Orlando International Airport.
Stewart and his passenger, were both charged with felonies in the incident. Stewart was charged with impersonating an officer and his sidekick with tampering with evidence after trying to hide the lights in a backpack. Given the nature of the charge, Stewart is likely to lose the truck, the authorities explaining that was normal as it had been used in a felony. Both men were released on cash bonds.
In a statement, Stewart said he wanted to show people that he was "someone that upholds the law". Critiics may counter impersonating a police officer might not be the best way to do that.
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