Dearborn County: A commercial driver is currently being held in the Dearborn County Jail on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated following a crash early this morning. According to Master Trooper Ben Bastin, at approximately 7:50 this morning a 2013 Freightliner semi tractor pulling a box trailer loaded with orange juice was westbound on I-74 as it approached exit 169. The driver, 28 year old Dale C. Watson of St. Louis claimed he must have dosed off and left the roadway where he struck a guardrail and traveled down over the hill between the westbound lanes of I-74 and the exit ramp where the semi overturned onto its side. Watson was not injured but Tpr. Clifton Elston, the first trooper on scene, detected the odor of alcoholic beverages about Watson’s person. Tpr. Elston transported Watson to the Dearborn County Jail where he administered a certified breath test. The result indicated Watson had a BAC of .21, nearly three times the legal limit. In addition to the DWI charge, Watson is also charged with violating several Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Investigators were on scene for over five hours before the semi was removed. The exit ramp at Exit 169 had to be closed for about four hours as wreckers turned the semi upright and removed it from the scene. The crash remains under investigation. M//Tpr. Bastin was assisted at the scene by other troopers and ISP Motor Carrier Inspectors, Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department, Harrison Fire Department, and Indiana Department of Transportation.
Persons arrested are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
