Power Outage at Soquel and Fairway Drives; CHP on Scene

A drunken driver hit a power pole near Soquel and Fairway drives Monday night, resulting in a traffic signal power outage, according to Sarah Jackson, of the California Highway Patrol. 

Zachary Wilder, 24, of Soquel was arrested on suspicion of DUI, hit and run and vandalism  after he crashed his 2007 Dodge pickup into the PG&E pole. He was booked into county jail soon after the incident.

Jackson said Wilder will likely be held financially responsible for the damage, although she couldn't comment on the process involved.

PG&E arrived on scene at 12:35 a.m. Tuesday to try to repair the damage and get the power back up. 

Despite the nonfunctional signal, police say motorists are still expected to stop at the intersection and that those who don't stop will face citations.  

Two officers are directing traffic at the scene, and a third is issuing citations. CHP notes that motorists who fail to stop at the intersection are endangering the public, and caution should be used when passing through.

The outage is expected to last until around 6 p.m. No roads are closed at this point.