Two crashes, two intoxication arrests

Columbus police arrested two men suspected of drunken driving after they were involved in separate crashes Friday night within one hour of each other.

Rickie L. Lee, 27, 2723 Williamsburg Court, was arrested on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and failure to stop after a property-damage crash, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus police spokesman.

That crash happened at about 6:15 p.m. Friday in the 2700 block of Williamsburg Court, Harris said. Officers determined that Lee was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Impala that struck two vehicles at a nearby bar, Harris said.

After Lee failed several field sobriety tests, he refused to take a certified breath test, and officers obtained a warrant for a blood sample, Harris said.

Lee was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail where he was later released in lieu of $6,000 bond, jail officials said.

About an hour later, officers went to Beam and National roads about an accident involving a possibly intoxicated driver, Harris said.

Brett A. Henderson, 40, 2804 E. 13th St., was arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a previous conviction within five years, Harris said.

Witnesses told police Henderson struck a vehicle at the Beam and National roads intersection after passing in an unsafe manner on U.S. 31, Harris said.

Henderson was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital where a blood sample was obtained, Harris said. The other driver refused medical treatment at the scene.

Henderson was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail and later released in lieu of $7,500 bond, jail officials said.