Staff report
CHINA GROVEó A grandmother who police say was driving drunk struck a utility pole, flipped her car and knocked out power to a section of town Monday afternoon.
Rhonda Wall Tucker, 48, of 8514 Old Concord Road, Salisbury, also had her 23-month-old granddaughter, Jadelynn Jenkins, in the car when the accident occurred around 11:20 a.m.
Both were taken by Rowan EMS to Rowan Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released.
Police Chief Hodge Coffield said Tucker was driving a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix north on Bostian Street. At the intersection with East Ketchie Street, the vehicle veered off the right side of the street, struck a utility pole and overturned.
Coffield said the child was in a child seat in the back seat but was not properly secured.
Police charged Tucker with driving while impaired and driving with a revoked license.
The utility pole snapped, bringing down utility lines for Duke Energy, Windstream and Time Warner.
The broken lines knocked out power to the immediate area, including the China Grove Police Department.
The section of street was barricaded until around 6 p.m. while utility crews made repairs.
The car sustained an estimated $4,000 worth of damage. Damage to the utility pole and lines was estimated at $3,000.