Drunk Driver in Stolen Car Briefly Cuts Power for 3,000 in SW Cedar Rapids

Election Day stress has hit a new low.

Drinking and driving never mix, and with people still on edge about the stability of their electricity and internet connections following the August 10th derecho, losing either of them at this point at the careless hands of an intoxicated driver is an unwanted and frustrating inconvenience, not to mention the danger from said drunk driver to other motorists on the road.

Iowa's News Now reports that's exactly what happened for about 3,000 homes and businesses in Southwest Cedar Rapids on Tuesday morning when a 24-year-old was not only driving while intoxicated--but was also reportedly doing so in a stolen 2015 Toyota Camry, according to investigators. The vehicle hit an electrical pole in the 1800 block of Edgewood Rd. Police responded to the incident at around 3 a.m.

The good news is, the driver, whose name was not released, sustained only minor injuries and was taken to UnityPoint St. Luke's Hospital. Upon a quickly expected recovery, he is likely to be charged with OWI and other crimes. No other injuries were reported.

The other good news, according to Alliant Energy is that work began immediately to restore power to those customers, all of whom were reported to have it back by around 10:45 a.m. The restoration took the combined effort of ITC, who owns the pole, and Alliant who provides power to it.