Police: Council member in south Arkansas city dozes in SUV, hits pole, leaves scene

A city council member in El Dorado was cited Tuesday after he dozed off while driving an SUV and crashed into a utility pole, then left before police arrived, the El Dorado News Times reported.

Alderman Billy Blann was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban sometime before 4 p.m. near the intersection of Faulkner Street and Yocum Avenue, according to a police report cited by the paper.

Blann reportedly told investigators he dozed off long enough to veer into an AT&T utility pole, which cracked on impact. He left the scene of the accident, police said. A witness wrote down his license plate number and phoned police, the paper reported.

Blann reportedly told police he left the scene because he did not want his SUV to be towed.

“It was a one-car accident. I called my wife. I called Entergy. I did not call the police. I was not hurt and the neighbors came out and helped me. I was out there for 20 minutes,” Blann said, according to the newspaper.

He was cited for failure to maintain control and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.

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