Plymouth man arrested after striking utility pole, fleeing scene

A 79-year-old Plymouth man was arrested Thursday night after striking a telephone pole on Thayer Street and leaving the scene of the crash, only to pull into his nearby garage and close the door.

Plymouth Police Department officers were dispatched just before 9 p.m. on May 14th to the 700 block of Thayer Street after a caller reported that a vehicle had struck a telephone pole, leaving wires hanging dangerously low. The caller also told 911 dispatchers that the driver appeared to be intoxicated and had fled the scene.

Officers arrived and observed damage to the pole's guidewire and an adjacent phone box. Officer Fisher went to a nearby residence and made contact with Ronald Overmyer, 79, who was found to have damage to his vehicle consistent with the damage at the scene.

During the conversation with officers, Overmyer admitted that he had been drinking while out and told police he was unaware he had struck the pole.

Overmyer was administered a field sobriety test and a portable breath test, which returned a result of .04 — below the legal limit for intoxication. However, based on the circumstances, Overmyer was placed under arrest for leaving the scene of a property-damage crash.

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