Former Corrections Officer Accused of DUI Crash Into Utility Pole

By Bay City News Service: 

A former San Mateo County Sheriff’s correction officer was arrested for drunk driving Tuesday morning after he allegedly crashed into a San Carlos utility pole and cut power to hundreds of residents, a spokeswoman said.

The sheriff’s office responded to reports of a crash in the 2400 block of Melendy Drive at around 2:15 a.m., sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Rosenblatt said.

Arriving deputies found a white Chevrolet pickup truck that had crashed into a PG&E power pole, shearing it off at the base.

Around a dozen high voltage lines came down in the street and an estimated 1,225 customers lost power, PG&E spokesman Jason King said.

The truck driver, Christopher Pettit, 23, of San Carlos, was not injured in the crash.

Pettit failed field sobriety tests at the scene, Rosenblatt said. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Rosenblatt said that Pettit started and ended his employment at the sheriff’s office this month.

PG&E crews worked throughout the day to repair the damaged infrastructure, and all customers had their power restored by around 3:45 p.m.