A Jan. 31 traffic crash in Coaldale resulted in an 18-year-old Summit Hill man being charged with drunken driving.

The crash took place in the unit block of Miner Street at 9:43 p.m. Police found three heavily damaged vehicles, including a 2009 Dodge SUV with Matthew W. Elison, 18, behind the steering wheel. Elison immediately told the officer he was too drunk to drive and should have known better after drinking a bottle of Bacardi rum.

He was unable to perform field sobriety tests due to being unstable on his feet. He was helped into the police cruiser and taken to St. Luke’s Miners Hospital in Coaldale for blood work. Results of the blood tests show he had a blood alcohol content of 0.172 percent, more than double the legal limit of .08 percent.

He was charged with three counts of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, careless driving and underage drinking and driving.