Drunk driver hits pole, causes power outage in Kzoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A Kalamazoo man is in custody after fleeing from the scene where he drunkenly drove his vehicle into a utility pole that caused nearby residents to lose power Friday night.

Officers from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety were dispatched to S. Burdick Street between Maple Street and Alcott Street for a utility pole that was dangerously hanging over the road, leaving approximately 400 customers without power just after 10 p.m.

Upon arrival, authorities say a driver had struck the pole and fled the scene on foot. A K-9 track led officers to a wooded area in the 100 block of W. Belmont Street where the suspect was hiding.

The suspect, a 39-year-old Kalamazoo man, was arrested and then lodged in the Kalamazoo County Jail for operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.

The area was closed while a crew from Consumers Energy was working to restore power, but the street has since reopened. However, a crew will remain in the area until the pole is completely replaced.

Police ask that drivers drive cautiously through the area while work continues.

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