By Ryan Lewallen, County 17
Things took an unexpected turn Thursday night after a semi-tractor trailer that had been hauling Bud Light beer overturned near Wright and a passerby reportedly stopped to steal a couple of kegs.
Deputies were dispatched to S. Highway 59 near milepost 66 after receiving a report of a single-vehicle rollover around 5:45 p.m. Dec. 9, according to Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds.
The driver, a 61-year-old male from Washington, had been attempting to slow down while traveling downhill when he lost control of his trailer, which was loaded down with “copious amounts of alcohol,” Reynolds said.
The trailer spun around before overturning in the ditch, pulling the Freightliner after it, according to Reynolds.
The driver and his 61-year-old female passenger did not report any injuries, though they did tell deputies that a passerby had stopped, picked up a couple of kegs of beer, and left before law enforcement arrived, per Reynolds.
While deputies were investigating the rollover, they reportedly witnessed another crash approximately 200 yards away when a 40-year-old male, driving a 2000 Interstate, slid into a 2020 Kenworth while both vehicles were slowing down as they approached the scene.
The impact disabled the Interstate, but only caused minor damage to the Kenworth, operated by a 27-year-old male who was ultimately found to have an active arrest warrant from Goshen County for failing to pay fines for not stopping at a port of entry, Reynolds said.
The 27-year-old male was arrested for the warrant, he continued, adding that deputies also ticketed the 40-year-old Interstate operator for following too closely.
The investigation into the stolen kegs is currently ongoing.
