A teen driver who admitted he’d been drinking before he drove into Bloomfield from the Viaduct area is accused of crashing a Mustang into a utility pole then leaving the scene.

Jesse James Vandeventer, 18, Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Zachary Goad of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department very early last Sunday, April 18.

Shortly before 1 a.m. last Sunday, April 18, Deputy Goad was dispatched to a crash on South Seminary and Post streets in Bloomfield where a vehicle had crashed into a utility pole then left the scene.

The utility pole was hit hard enough to break it in half and Deputy Goad said the top half of the pole was leaning on the bottom half. Not long after he arrived on the scene, he saw a green 2002 Ford Mustang with heavy front-end damage pull onto South Seminary Street from West Duncan Avenue.

The driver of the Mustang said he was trying to help his friend, Jesse Vandeventer, get the car back to a residence. The driver was asked to contact Vandeventer and ask him to return to the scene. After multiple calls, Vandeventer did return.

Vandeventer was upset about the crash and allegedly told the deputy he drove into the pole on purpose. Deputy Goad reported he could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Vandeventer’s breath and Vandeventer showed other signs of intoxication.

Vandeventer allegedly admitted he had been drinking before driving and while driving. He said he had driven into town from the Viaduct area.

Deputy Goad said after transport to the sheriff’s department, Vandeventer failed field sobriety testing and at one point, put his foot down and did not want to continue, saying, “Is there any point to this? I already know I failed. I already know I got a DUI.”

Vandeventer agreed to take a chemical test. Results showed he had a BAC of .147. The legal limit is 08.

Vandeventer was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:37 a.m. His bond was set at $5,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $500 and was released later the same day.

Vandeventer is facing preliminary charges of:

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,
Leaving the scene of an accident, a Class B misdemeanor, and
Minor in possession of alcohol, a Class C misdemeanor.

His initial hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning, April 29.