A one-vehicle crash on County Road 800 West last Wednesday evening broke a utility pole in half and sent a Bloomfield driver to jail on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Randy L. Handley, 36, Bloomfield, was driving a black Hyundai when the vehicle ran off the road and hit a utility pole at 2021 South County Road 800 West.

Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Heather Wood and Sgt. Bobby Pierce were dispatched a little after 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, August 15.

When the deputies arrived on the scene, the vehicle, off the road and crashed into a pole, was unoccupied. The utility pole had been broken in half.

Deputies spotted a man walking down County Road 200 North, away from the crash scene, who said the driver was walking ahead of him.

They then located Handley, also walking away from the scene toward a friend’s house to get help, who admitted he’d been driving the vehicle.

Officers detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and when Handley was asked if he’d been drinking, Deputy Wood reported he said yes, that he’d had a few beers at a friend’s house.

Handley allegedly failed field sobriety tests and a test on a portable breathalyzer showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of .10. He was detained and transported.

Once at the sheriff’s department, Handley allegedly again failed field sobriety testing but agreed to take a certified chemical test which showed he had an blood alcohol concentration of .08.

Handley was arrested with bond set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

He has since bonded out after posting $400 cash.

When he appears in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing on Thursday, he will be charged with:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor,
• Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least .08 but less than .15, a Class C misdemeanor, and
• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor.