A driver suspected to be under the influence of alcohol veered off the roadway at 55 mph on Avenue 6, near Road 20 and struck a power pole head on, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Baldomero Contreras Aqular, 48, told officers he was eastbound in his 2001 Nissan Frontier pickup truck Saturday about 7 p.m. when he briefly dozed off and went off the roadway into the pole.
Aqular told officers he had consumed about 12 beers earlier that evening, but didn’t know how the solo vehicle crash occurred. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, and also cited for driving without a driver’s license. Aqular said he had one prior arrest for DUI.
Officers said the impact completely sheered off the large pole at the base, but the live power lines remained intact and above ground — they were just dangling low over the shoulder of the roadway...