Demorest Man Charged with DUI After Alleged Excavator “Joy Ride” Through Habersham County

HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. (Oct. 20, 2025) — A north Georgia man is facing felony charges after authorities say he took a 30-ton excavator from a construction site and drove it down a public road while under the influence.

According to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Danny Ross Robinson, 66, of Demorest, was arrested Friday night after deputies received reports of a slow-moving excavator traveling along Old Athens Highway.

Deputies responded to the area around 7:45 p.m. and found the large Komatsu PC290LC excavator parked in a private driveway about half a mile from the county’s new animal shelter construction site on Happy Tails Way. Investigators say the heavy equipment had been taken from that site earlier in the evening.

The excavator’s boom arm was stopped just inches from nearby utility lines when deputies arrived. Authorities said a mailbox was damaged during the incident, but no one was injured.

Robinson was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence and theft by taking a motor vehicle. Deputies say he appeared intoxicated at the scene, though no details were immediately released about his blood alcohol level or the substances allegedly involved.

Sheriff’s officials said the case serves as a reminder that Georgia’s DUI laws apply to any motorized vehicle operating on a public roadway — even heavy construction equipment.

“This could have easily turned into a tragedy,” a Habersham County spokesperson said Monday. “A piece of machinery that size can do catastrophic damage if mishandled, even at slow speeds.”

The excavator, which weighs more than 60,000 pounds, was returned to the construction company following the incident. Authorities did not disclose how Robinson gained access to or started the machine.

Robinson was booked into the Habersham County Detention Center and remains in custody pending a bond hearing.

The case remains under investigation.