Alleged DUI crash topples Modesto pole, cuts power for hours. Second driver detained
One driver hit a power pole on Scenic Drive on Sunday night, but two drivers ended up in trouble, police said.
Officers responded to an 8:45 p.m. report of a vehicle crashing into a power pole on Scenic west of Oakdale Road, Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said Monday morning.
They and responding firefighters found that sparking wires caused a tree to catch fire, she said. A couple of houses were evacuated as a precaution.
DeAngilo Smith, 37, of Mountain House was driving a 2006 GMC pickup truck east on Scenic when he hit the pole on the south side of the road, knocking it down. He was uninjured, Bear said, but was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
“While officers were on scene, another driver went through the barricades and was detained by officers,” Bear said. “This driver, 24-year-old Michael Hawkins of Modesto, was found to be DUI also.”
Power was out for more than 1,400 households, Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman Melissa Williams said. “We were able to restore power to many within about a half hour. All power was restored around 1:45 a.m. today.”
It was not immediately clear Monday morning if Smith and Hawkins were booked into jail or cited and released.
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 9:10 AM.
