Drunken Driver Struck Pole, Fled Scene, Cops Say

A Connecticut woman found herself in Hackettstown’s police headquarters in the early morning hours of Tuesday after crashing into a utility pole and leaving the scene, Sgt. Darren Tynan said.

At 1:10 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to Grand Avenue near Tannery Field for a report of a hit and run car crash, Tynan said. A witness at the scene told officers they saw a car hit a utility pole and flee the scene, Tynan said.

Officers then canvassed the area to find the reported vehicle, which was eventually located on Fourth Avenue, Tynan said. Officers spoke with the driver, Monica Crimi, 28 of Danbury, Connecticut, and smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage, Tynan said.

An investigation determined Crimi was the driver who struck the utility pole as she was driving south on Grand Avenue, and suffered a facial injury as a result, Tynan said. Crimi was unable to perform field sobriety tests and taken to police headquarters.

She was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated in a school zone, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash and failure to report a motor vehicle crash.

For questions about this post, email jason.koestenblatt@patch.com.