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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man arrested on DUI charge after truck hits power pole on Division Street, knocking out power

A pickup truck is removed from Division Street after it struck a power pole on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The crash knocked out power to roughly 40 customers along the busy corridor heading into downtown Spokane. (Kip Hill / The Spokesman-Review)

A pickup truck struck a power pole on a stretch of Division Street in downtown Spokane on Thursday morning, causing several businesses to temporarily close and rerouting traffic during a busy lunch hour.

Spokane police Sgt. Teresa Fuller said the driver of the truck, 43-year-old Robert A. Pashon, was arrested after the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence. He remained in the Spokane County Jail on Thursday evening and also faces a charge of driving with a suspended license.

Avista Utilities reported an outage affecting about 41 customers just after 11 a.m. near the intersection of Division and Cataldo Avenue, just north of the Spokane River. Southbound traffic on Division was closed at Mission Avenue while crews worked to move the pickup truck and remove a downed power pole from the roadway.

Avista reported it had restored power to most customers along the corridor by Thursday evening.