Driver arrested after crash caused power outage and blocked busy road, police say
A man who crashed a pickup truck into utility poles, which caused a busy road to be blocked and an hours-long blackout, was arrested on multiple charges, the Forest Acres Police Department said Thursday.
Steven Anthony Young, 44, was charged with driving on a suspended license, giving false information and striking fixtures on or adjacent to the highway, Forest Acres spokesperson Lynnsey Baker told The State. Baker said Young is a West Columbia resident.
The charges stem from a wreck at about 1:35 a.m. on May 17, according to police.
Young was driving a Ford F-150 pickup that hit two utility poles near the intersection of Forest Drive and Dalloz Road, police said. That’s in an area of Forest Acres densely packed with businesses, near A.C. Flora High School.
The crash caused a power outage in the area, and about a half-mile stretch of Forest Drive, between Beltline Boulevard and Falcon Drive, was blocked for several hours as crews from Dominion Energy worked to clear the road and restore electricity, according to police.
Damages to the two broken utility poles were estimated at $15,000, police said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the pickup had been abandoned, police said.
As officers were investigating the scene, authorities received another call about a man on Brentwood Drive, according to police.
Officers responded to the 1200 block of Brentwood Drive, about three-quarters of a mile from the crash, where they found Young inside an unlocked vehicle, Baker said. Officers said it appeared that Young was trying to hide inside the car, according to Baker.
It was obvious that Young was in need of medical care, and he was taken to an area hospital, police said.
What wasn’t immediately clear was Young’s identity, as well as how he suffered his injuries.
When questioned by police, Young lied about his name — twice, Baker said. He told the officers his name was John McFadden, then said it was Steve McFalder, before police were able to successfully identify Young, according to Baker.
It was then that Young told police that his Ford F-150 had run off the road, Baker said.
While police say Young was driving the pickup, it’s not registered in his name, according to Baker. Although the truck is registered to someone else, Young didn’t face an additional charge because the pickup wasn’t reported stolen, Baker said.
Information about Young’s condition was not available. He wasn’t arrested by police until May 24, when he had been released from the hospital, according to Baker.
Bond on the combined charges was set at $1,345, jail records show.
Young remains behind bars at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he’s facing other charges in Richland County.
On May 22, Young was arrested on three drug charges in addition to one count of possession/sell/dispose of stolen vehicle, (value $10,000 or more), according to jail records. Bond was set at a combined $10,000 on those charges, jail records show.
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