Crime & Safety
Portsmouth Man Faces DUI Charge after Crashing into Pole, Business
A 20-year-old Portsmouth man was charged with driving under the influence after losing control and hitting a pole and business on Saturday.
PORTSMOUTH, RI—Jacob William Whitmarsh, 20, of Portsmouth, told police he was traveling too fast when he tried to take the corner at East Main and Turnpike roads, police said.
Around 4:23 p.m. on Saturday, he lost control of his vehicle near Clements Marketplace, according to a police report. Whitmarsh hit a telephone pole and then crashed into the front entrance of Griff Electric, at 2127 East Main Road.
According to the report, police suspected Whitmarsh had been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A field sobriety test was administered and he failed, leading to a charged of driving under the influence. It is his first offense, police said.
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He was also charged with refusing a chemical test.
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