A man is accused of driving drunk and crashing his car in a St. Charles neighborhood, damaging three houses, police said.
According to police, at 1:33 a.m. Wednesday, a 2005 Lincoln traveling north on the 700 block of South Third Street failed to negotiate a curve and left the roadway. The car then drove into a lawn, hit a berm and went airborne, according to police. The car struck the guy-wire of a utility pole, uprooted a small tree, struck one house 10 feet off the ground and went on to hit another house, according to police.
The car landed upside-down in the driveway of the second home, and the uprooted tree landed on the home’s second-story roof. Flying debris from the car damaged a window at a third house nearby, according to police.
No one in any of the houses was injured, said St. Charles police Deputy Chief Dave Kintz.
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The driver, Richard J. Rusin, 34, of the 6N600 block of Greenlawn Avenue in St. Charles, was transported to Delnor Community Hospital, where his condition was not known, according to the news release. Rusin was charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage. He was released from custody on a personal recognizance bond and remained at the hospital, according to police.
Because the crash impacted the utility pole, it caused a brief interruption to power in the area, according to police. The St. Charles Electric Department restored power, police said.
A building inspector was also called to examine the houses, which sustained serious damage but were declared habitable, according to police.
In 2005, Rusin pleaded guilty in Kane County to drunken driving with blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher and was sentenced to 24 months supervision plus alcohol treatment, 100 hours of public service and $500 restitution, records show.
In 2008, he pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 86 days in Kane County Jail plus 24 months conditional discharge, records show.
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