PUTNAM — A 51-year-old Rhode Island man was arrested on drunken driving charges after crashing his pickup truck into a utility pole on School Street on Sept. 27.
Ronald Bonner Jr. of Pascoag, Rhode Island, was driving eastbound on School Street at approximately 6:48 p.m. when another vehicle began to pull out from a side street in front of him, according to the Putnam Police Department.
Bonner swerved to avoid colliding with the other car but lost control of his vehicle and left the roadway, police said.
The pickup truck struck a fire hydrant and then a utility pole, snapping the pole at its base and causing disabling damage to the vehicle.
Officers closed that section of School Street following the crash.
During the investigation, Bonner displayed signs of impairment and was subjected to standardized field sobriety tests, which he did not perform to standard, police said.
Bonner was arrested on charges of operating under the influence, traveling unreasonably fast and failure to maintain lane.
He was processed and released on $2,500 non-surety bond with a court date of Oct. 8.
Eversource Electric responded to address the utility damage and restore power, which was temporarily out in the surrounding area.
No injuries were reported as a result of the crash.
The Putnam Fire Department and Putnam EMS also responded to the scene.
