BROOKINGS – A suspected hit-and-run driver allegedly left plenty of damage in his wake after striking several things on three properties early Wednesday morning, according to Brookings Police.
Suspect Kole Ruml, 24, of Brookings, received two citations: one for reckless driving and the second one for hit-and-run property damage, Lt. Marci Gebers said.
The damage was reported around 2:29 a.m. Wednesday, when officers were called to the 200 block of 16th Avenue, Gebers said.
“When officers arrived, they found a 2012 Cadillac SRX – that’s like a little SUV – that had been traveling east in the 1500 block of Second Street,” Gebers said.
“That vehicle entered the T intersection of 16th Avenue, veered to the left, jumped the curb, crashed into a hedge in a yard in the 1600 block of Robin Road,” Gebers said.
“After it ran into the hedge in the 1600 block of Robin Road … the vehicle went to the left, hitting some drain spouts, (belonging) to a residence located in the 200 block of 16th Avenue. And then it ran over a tree before it crashed through the wood fence in the backyard in the 1600 block of Robin Road,” Gebers said.
The vehicle struck a cable box, “made a U-turn, drove over a patio, and crashed into another section of the wood fence,” Gebers said.
“The driver and passenger fled the scene; they were seen fleeing from the area, leaving the vehicle there,” Gebers said.
“That vehicle sustained damage to the front and then was scratched up from the various items that it struck,” Gebers said.
The investigating officer met with Ruml on Wednesday evening and issued the two citations.
Damage for the fence is estimated at $1,000, Gebers said, adding there was no estimate for the other items. The Cadillac sustained about $1,200 damage.
