Columbus police arrested a local man for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he was accused of driving off the road and striking several mailboxes before leaving the scene.
Police were sent at 7:20 p.m. Thursday to the 4500 block of Jonathan Moore Pike about the accident, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman. A witness provided information to officers about the accident.
The truck involved in the accident, driven by Douglas H. Mitchell, 54, Columbus, was located and had extensive front end damage and was later towed, Harris said.
When officers spoke with Mitchell, they said his speech was slurred and they smelled a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath, Harris said.
After Mitchell failed several field sobriety exercises, he was taken to the Columbus Police Department, where he provided a breath test sample of .201 percent, Harris said.
Mitchell was arrested on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.