Sheriff says drunk driver hit Meridian power pole, caused power outage

A 25-year-old Meridian man who drove his pickup truck into a power pole on Ten Mile Road early Monday morning, knocking out power for more than 1,800 customers, tested at more than three times the legal blood alcohol level for driving in Idaho, the Ada County Sheriff's Office reports.

Bryce Martin Walker is charged with misdemeanor excessive DUI and driving without a valid license. The sheriff's office reports that Walker failed field sobriety tests and took a breath test that registered a blood alcohol level of 0.28. The legal blood alcohol limit for driving in Idaho is 0.08.

The crash occurred just before 1:30 a.m. Monday near the intersection of Ten Mile and Ardell roads. Walker reportedly lost control of a 2001 Toyota Tacoma, which went off the west side of Ten Mile Road and hit the base of the power pole. The impact broke the pole off at the base and knocked power lines to the ground. The truck, which was badly damaged, continued into a nearby field before stopping, the sheriff's office reports.

Walker was booked into the Ada County Jail and bonded out after a few hours. A reported 1,841 Idaho Power customers in the area were without electricity for several hours while power company workers replaced the pole and repaired the wires.

This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Sheriff says drunk driver hit Meridian power pole, caused power outage."