Cereal offender nabbed in Needham

By Matt Byrne, Globe Correspondent

A man in Needham found himself in a tight crunch last week after he admitted to police in a traffic stop to have been eating a bowl of cereal while driving.

When police asked him about the cereal after stopping him, the 48-year-old man admitted he was having a snack. “The individual indicated he was hungry and was eating the cereal,” said Needham Police Lieutenant John Schlittler.

The 48-year-old man was stopped on Central Avenue in Needham Thursday (May 7) after multiple drivers on the road called 911 to report an erratic driver.

“He was all over the road,” the callers said, according to Schlittler. Officers stopped the gray Oldsmobile at about 12:30 p.m. and ran the driver’s license, which was found to be expired, Schlittler said.

In the process of a routine inventory search of the car, officers noticed a bowl of milk and cereal sitting on the passenger seat. Schlittler said officers found the man’s impromptu meal was still cold, he said.

The man, whose name has not been released by police, was cited for unlicensed operation, failure to stay in lanes, and operating to endanger, Schlittler said. Although there is a possibility the man could lose his license, police said it was unlikely and would depend on how the case proceeds through the court.

The first offense for driving to endanger is a 60-day license suspension. Penalties for a second offense increase after that, Schlitter said. Police said they did not note in the report the type of cereal found in the incident.

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