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Two bicyclists charged with DUI in one weekBy BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer© St. Petersburg Times published August 17, 2002 ZEPHYRHILLS -- Don't drink and pedal. That's the message Zephyrhills police officers sent this week when they arrested two local bicycle riders on DUI charges. "It's very, very seldom that happens," Sgt. Randy Belasic said. "It's the first time I've seen two in one week." About 1 a.m. Thursday, officers saw a man swerving on a purple bicycle, riding down the middle of North Avenue. Kenneth Jeffrey O'Gorman, 35, of 38330 18th Ave., said he was coming home from the Crystal Bar. O'Gorman failed sobriety tests and blew 0.241 and 0.234 blood-alcohol percentages on two Breathalyzer tests, reports stated. Officers also found a quarter of an ounce of marijuana on O'Gorman. Only days earlier, on Sunday, officers arrested a 16-year-old boy who was riding a bike with no headlight about 11 p.m. near Plum and C avenues. They said he, too, was drunk. The boy's name is being withheld by the Times because of his age. Belasic said people often wonder why police would arrest someone on a bicycle for DUI. Bicycle riders are much less dangerous than drunken drivers, they say. Not necessarily, Belasic said. "It's more for their safety and for safety of motorists on road," he said. "They're not going to kill anybody, but the chance of them getting hurt is increased much more." O'Gorman was taken to Land O'Lakes jail and released later Thursday after posting $1,000 bail. The 16-year-old was taken to the Pasco juvenile detention center. No further information was available.
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