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Trucker accused of DWI after taking side trip down Union Street

By Howard B. Owens

A truck driver out of Syracuse is being charged with DWI after reportedly taking his rig down Union Street this afternoon and hitting some trees.

City Councilman Bob Bialkowski brought up the incident at Monday night's council meeting, congratulating Chief Randy Baker and his department on a swift arrest of the apparently wayward driver.

Bialkowski said he was on Union at the time of the alleged incident, heard a loud noise -- louder than the sound of a small airplane crash, he said -- and turned around and saw the truck coming down the roadway with a gaping hole in the side of its trailer. The driver, he said, was trying to look in the side mirror to see what happened.

Taken into custody was Darren D. Jones, 45, of 168 Parkside Ave., Syracuse.

He was charged with aggravated DWI in a commercial vehicle and disobeying a traffic control device.

City police said the first report of an erratic truck driver came in about a semi exiting the Thruway. Jones was pulled over on West Main Street.

There is a weight limit on Union, according to the police press release, and Jones allegedly ignored it.

The report says Jones' truck had significant damage.

Dave Olsen

DWI while driving a commercial vehicle comes in at .04% alcohol instead of .08. If any amount of alcohol is detected when driving a commercial vehicle, you are suspended for 3 weeks. I think aggravated means it's not his first time, so that is a life revocation of Commercial Drivers License. So, yes Janice, he will need to find another occupation.

Sep 14, 2010, 6:00pm Permalink
Bob Price

A "swift arrest"-pretty funny,as it looks like it was a Swift truck.........I remember seeing a tractor trailer going down this street earlier this year,and it took down some lines-seemingly unbeknownst to the driver.

Sep 14, 2010, 10:13pm Permalink

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