Three parked cars were totaled and three more were heavily damaged around noon yesterday after the driver of a motor home, traveling south on SR309 in South Tamaqua, lost control and slammed into the parked vehicles, which were in the South Tamaqua Plaza parking lot.

The driver of the motor home, Richard Ritter, of Tamaqua, was taken into custody after failing a field sobriety test.Responding were West Penn Police, West Penn Fire Company, fire police, Tamaqua Police and others.It took several hours for tow trucks to remove the damaged vehicles and motor home, and to clear the scene.West Penn and Tamaqua Fire Police detoured traffic around the area for the duration.West Penn Police are investigating the incident and awaiting toxicology results.An owner of one of the totaled vehicles stated that a number of employees of one of the South Tamaqua Plaza businesses had just left their cars after taking smoke breaks in them.Police said that Ritter had only owned the motor home one month.