Pflugerville Power Outage Caused By Car Hitting Power Pole In Police Chase (Update)

PFLUGERVILLE, TX — The power outage that left more than 30 homes without electricity on Wednesday was caused by a man evading police who ran into a power pole, police said.

Jamie Russell Respert was arrested after crashing into the pole, police told the Austin American-Statesman. He was also charged with possession of two ounces or less of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance of 28 grams or more but less than 200 grams, according to the report referencing Travis County sheriff's office records.

Police tried to pull the suspect over for a moving violation when he gave chase, eventually striking the pole near the intersection of Grand Avenue Parkway and Picadilly Drive.

Related story: Wreck At Key Pflugerville Intersection Prompts Street Closure, Sparks Power Outage