Suspected drunken driver takes out utility pole

A former South Lake Tahoe man who now lives in Colfax was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital on Sunday night after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a utility pole at Al Tahoe Boulevard and Pioneer Trail.

“I followed him from Rite-Aid and could not believe this person would drive a vehicle under his condition,” a witness told Lake Tahoe News.

Justin Hartinger, 38, was the driver of the Toyota SUV. At about 7:30pm July 21 he was taken to the hospital and issued a citation for driving under the influence.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report