A 56-year-old Eureka man was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated after he reportedly crashed a pickup into a utility pole along Williams Road. The man was not injured in the accident, Eureka Police reported.
The accident happened at about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 2. An officer arrived on the scene and found the driver trying to back up a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and return to the road, the report said.
The officer asked the driver to turn off the pickup’s engine and step out of the Silverado. The driver allegedly told the officer he was driving home from Columbia and must have fallen asleep, according to the report.
The officer said he smelled alcohol on the man’s breath and the man appeared intoxicated. The officer also said the man struggled to keep his balance, the report said.
When the officer asked the man to perform field sobriety tests, the man allegedly said he had drunk a couple of beers and refused to take the tests. The man was arrested and taken to the Eureka Police Station, where he was booked and released with summonses to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for an alleged DWI and for driving with expired license plates, Lt. Michael Werges said.