It allegedly started as a dare, and things got out of control once drugs and alcohol entered the mix.
A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling Nov. 17 when he spotted a commercial dump truck driving down 96th Street South with 130 feet of chain-link fence wrapped around the cab and wheel well area.
He pulled the dump truck over and noticed the 43-year-old driver appeared extremely drunk.
The man admitted to having a few beers, but refused to take sobriety tests, officials said. The deputy said he saw several empty 22-ounce cans of the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko and a bottle of Dog Bite High Gravity Liquor on the floorboard.
The deputy ran the driver’s license and saw it was suspended. He arrested the driver and took him to jail.
While being treated for injuries in the emergency room, officials said, the driver allegedly blamed crack cocaine and alcohol for the night’s events, saying “I can’t stop screwing up.”
Earlier in the night, the man allegedly drove the dump truck through a chain-link fence at Tacoma First Baptist Church, 1328 S. 84th St., breaking off the truck’s side mirror, which was found at the scene.
The man also is accused of damaging the church’s soccer field. Damage was estimated at $4,800.
Prosecutors charged the man Monday with driving under the influence, second-degree malicious mischief and driving with a suspended license. He has not yet been arraigned.
stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com
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