SALEM — A man who had taken a pickup truck without permission and was well over the legal drinking limit crashed into a tree stump off Mason Street, causing significant damage to the truck, police said.
Jason M. McKenney, 28, of 56 Margin St., in Salem, was charged with drunken driving, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, providing a false name to a police officer, driving with an open alcohol container and receiving stolen goods (motor vehicle) at 11:35 p.m. Thursday night.
Police arrived on scene and located a Gray GMC truck high up on an embankment. The truck had hit a tree stump, which caused major damage to the truck's passenger side. The driver of the vehicle, however, was not on scene when police arrived.
When police located a man matching the description a caller had given them of the driver, they noticed a strong sent of alcohol on McKenney's breath.
First identifying himself as Joshua Murphy, McKenney claimed he lost control of the vehicle and had consumed two 40-ounce beers earlier in the day, police said.
He failed two of three sobriety tests, police said, and was taken into custody. After police read him his rights, McKenney acknowledged that he had consumed three 40-ounce beers and had been driving his cousin's car. After police interviewed the cousin and the cousin's friend, they denied being with McKenney and said he took the truck without permission.
According to police records, McKenney registered a blood alcohol level almost three times the normal limit. In addition, a half empty 40-ounce beer was located in his backpack.
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