You don’t have mail. Two Stafford businesses will have difficulty getting mail after a reckless DUI driver took out their mailboxes during a late-night ride.

On February 22nd at approximately 11:25 p.m. Deputy N.J. Amato responded to the 300 block of Warrenton Road for an auto accident. It was advised a Chrysler went off the road and struck a telephone pole. Deputy Amato would quickly arrive and converse with both the driver and witnesses to determine what occurred.

Witnesses advised they were traveling Westbound on Warrenton Road when the Chrysler began quickly approaching from the rear. As the Chrysler passed them it would continue to drive in a reckless manner and cross between lanes. The Chrysler would then abruptly swerve off the roadway, strike two mailboxes, before meeting its final end with a telephone pole. The suspect driver advised a vehicle “came out of nowhere” and he swerved to avoid it. That was discovered to be inaccurate. The driver would have signs of intoxication and admitted to consuming “a few shots” while at a birthday party.

Due to the severity of the crash, and the driver admitting that he was not wearing a seatbelt, he was transported to a nearby hospital out of concern for possible internal injuries. Deputy Amato would obtain warrants for driving under the influence, reckless driving, two counts of destruction of property, and failure to wear a seatbelt.

Between Friday, February 21st, and Sunday, February 23rd, there were just under 15 DUI related incidents. Driving under the influence not only can result in charges, but can seriously affect you and those around you. Make the responsible decision to safeguard everyone on Stafford’s roads by driving sober.