By Sarah Chattah

Early Saturday morning, Haines Police charged a 34-year-old man with leaving the scene of an accident, a DUI, and refusal to submit to a chemical test after he drove his car into a Ford pickup and bear sculpture.

Court documents say the man drove his car into the back of a Ford pickup on the 300 block of Main Street. The driver backed up his vehicle and continued driving, but veered onto the sidewalk on the 400 block of Main Street and hit a marble sculpture of a bear valued at approximately $16,000. The sculpture’s artist, Judd Mullady, told police the sculpture was damaged beyond repair.

At 4:58 a.m., Haines Police received a call from an employee at Olerud’s, who saw the man leaving the scene. Officer Chris Brown found the vehicle unattended. The car’s front end was badly damaged and leaking.

Brown found the man walking nearby, whose shoes smelled like antifreeze and oil, Brown said. Brown asked the man if it was his vehicle, and informed him that he had hit a pickup truck and a statue.

“It was very obvious that he was intoxicated,” said Brown, “His eyes were bloodshot, watery and sleepy looking.” Brown said the man smelled of liquor and was staggering, and at first the man was cooperative.

The man admitted the vehicle belonged to him, but became uncooperative when Brown asked him to complete a sobriety test. Brown then arrested the man. He refused to offer a breath sample and to answer questions. Police charged him with three Class A misdemeanors.

The man did not attend his scheduled court hearing on April 3.

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