A man who was learning to drive crashed a car into a concrete base of a light pole in a parking lot on the south side of Bloomfield last week. A deputy reported the man had been drinking.

Pablo Tomas-Silverio, 32, of Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Alan Jackson of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department after Jackson responded to the scene of a crash.

The crash occurred late in the afternoon on Monday, May 27, and someone called the sheriff’s department about a wrecked car with the air bags deployed.

When Deputy Jackson got there, he found a black Nissan Versa with heavy front-end damage due to crashing into the concrete base of a light pole.

Silverio was the driver who was out of the vehicle and was not reported to have been injured.

Silverio did not speak English and Deputy Jackson communicated to him with assistance from a couple of different people on the scene who acted as translators.

Silverio allegedly said he was learning to drive in the parking lot and when he reached for his phone, the next thing he knew he hit a pole.

Deputy Jackson reported he detected the odor of alcohol coming from Silverio, who showed signs of impairment.

Silverio was transported to the sheriff’s department where former dispatcher Jodi Dunigan was brought in to act as a translator.

Standard field sobriety tests were given and Silverio agreed to take a chemical breath test administered by Deputy Zachary Goad.

Jackson reported the test result showed Silverio had a BAC of .185. The legal limit is .08.

Silverio was booked in around 8:23 p.m. His bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He has since posted bond and been released from jail.

An initial hearing was scheduled for yesterday, June 3, but the court was advised Silverio would need an interpreter to assist in the court proceedings.

The court appointed Lisa Hernandez to serve as an interpreter and the initial hearing has been reset for July 10.

Silverio is facing preliminary charges of: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more a Class A misdemeanor.