A Jacksonville man has been charged with multiple driving offenses after striking a power pole Sunday evening. Jacksonville Police were summoned to the 500 block of West Lafayette Avenue at approximately 6:30PM Sunday. A caller told dispatch that a blue SUV had struck a power pole and left the scene eastbound on Lafayette Avenue.
According to a Jacksonville Police report, witness said that the SUV left the roadway to the right and struck a utility pole on the south side of the street. Witnesses also said that the vehicle sustained heavy front end damage during the crash. Ameren Illinois was called to the scene to clear live power lines from the roadway. The suspected vehicle and debris from the power pole also blocked the roadway. According to the Journal Courier, an undetermined number of homes in the area were without power for an indeterminate amount of time while Ameren worked to repair the damaged power pole and transformers.
At 7:06PM, police located the vehicle in the 900 block of South Clay Avenue, and arrested the driver, 33 year old Zachary W. Sliger of that vicinity, for improper lane usage, leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence, illegal possession of adult use cannabis in a motor vehicle, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
Sliger was later booked into the Morgan County Jail, posted bond, and was released.