MORGANTOWN — A Tuesday evening power outage in Sabraton was caused when an allegedly drunk driver crashed into a light pole support wire.
About 1,500 Mon Power customers lost power from 6:55-7:55 p.m., spokesman Will Boye said.
Boye said the light pole support wire that was struck made contact with the company’s wires. When things come into contact with the wires, they detect it and shut the power off — similar to a circuit breaker, he said.
No power equipment was damaged and a crew just had to remove the wire from the lines. Boye said the wire that was struck does not belong to Mon Power.
Walter C. Jones Jr., 61, of Morgantown, is charged with DUI, driving on a license suspended for DUI, driving on a suspended license, crashes involving damage to vehicle, and duty upon striking fixtures upon a highway.
The crash happened in the parking lot of the Sabraton Kroger and the vehicle fled after hitting the cable, according to a criminal complaint. A witness told police the license plate number of the car, which led police to Jones and the vehicle.
An officer took a picture of Jones at his home on Richwood Avenue and a witness at Kroger said Jones was the driver of the vehicle that hit the cable, the complaint said.
The officer at Jones’ home smelled alcohol on his breath and showed impairment on one test before refusing to do a one-legged stand and walk and turn because his knees hurt, according to the complaint. He did agree to a breathalyzer and blew a .083.
Jones is free on $7,000 bond.
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