6K Lose Power After Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes Into Power Pole

SANTA ROSA, CA — A large power outage in northwest Santa Rosa on Tuesday afternoon was due to a suspected DUI driver who allegedly crashed into a power pole, tossed a whiskey bottle into some nearby brush and walked away, police said.

The collision was reported about 12:20 p.m., when a white Tesla plowed into a PG&E power pole near 1940 Piner Road, downing power lines.

Witnesses told police that the driver, later identified later as Anthony Turnbull, walked away from the crash after throwing what appeared to be bottle into a nearby grassy area, Santa Rosa police said.
An officer found Turnbull near the crash, on the west sidewalk of Marlow Road.

"The officer later located an almost-empty bottle of Fireball whisky in the area identified by onlookers and, during his investigation, determined that the bottle had belonged to Turnbull," police said in a news release.

A DUI investigation determined that Turnbull had allegedly been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, with a blood alcohol content was higher than the legal limit of 0.08%.

Turnbull is a 46-year-old Santa Rosa resident with a prior conviction for DUI in 2021, police said.
He was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony driving under the influence with a BAC over 0.08%.

The collision caused power outage affecting over 6,000 customers, or approximately 15,000 to 20,000 area residents, police said.

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