Police bust alleged drunken horse rider

BUNNELL, Fla., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man charged with resisting arrest led officers on a chase while allegedly riding a horse intoxicated.

Bunnell Police Chief Jeffrey Hoffman said police received a call shortly after 2 p.m. Monday about a drunken man on horseback seen urinating in someone's yard and the rider, later identified as Charles Cowart, 29, led officers on a chase through the city's housing authority property and onto some railroad tracks, The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal reported Wednesday.

"He made it into the heart of the city and was in and out of traffic," Hoffman said. "He was causing quite a hazard. He made his way onto the railroad tracks, and we had to stop a southbound train."

"We were going to have (Flagler County sheriff's) deputies come out on horseback to assist us," he said. "His father tackled him off the horse in the middle of U.S. 1, and we eventually caught him."

Cowart was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, aggravated fleeing and eluding, cruelty to animals and interference with a railroad track. He was jailed in lieu of $2,000 bail.