Man Who Crashed U-Haul Truck Pleads 'No Contest' To Driving While Drunk

Corey McDonald -- the man accused of flipping a 14-foot U-Haul truck while driving drunk -- pleaded 'no contest' Monday morning in Mentor Municipal Court to a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

A "no contest" plea is when a suspect neither admits to nor disputes the charges against him or her.

The judge found McDonald guilty and sentenced him to 90 days in jail. However, the judge also gave McDonald credit for the 33 days he already spent behind bars and suspended the remainder.

That means McDonald can avoid any more jail time if he doesn't violate the terms of his probation.

McDonald was ordered to stay away from alcohol, pay restitution for the damage he did to the rented truck and participate in a driver's awareness program.

McDonald -- who is 21 and lives in Concord Township -- was also fined $675, but he can perform volunteer work in lieu of paying the fine.

This is McDonald's first drunken driving conviction.

He was arrested on Jan. 3.

McDonald was driving west that evening on Lake Shore Boulevard. According to the police report, he first drove off the left side of the road and knocked down a mailbox in the 7500 block of the street.

Then he drove on some of the tree lawns on the south side of the street. Finally, the truck fell on its side and slid another 30 feet before coming to a stop, police said.

McDonald was not hurt during the crash. No one else was with him in the truck at the time and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.