Driver Arrested after Crash Involving Utility Pole, House

LONGVIEW � The Longview man police say mowed down a utility pole and slammed into a northwest Longview home, was arrested on theft and fraud charges shortly after the crash. That�s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Jimmy Ray Gibson, 24, was traveling south about 6:30 Tuesday night on Pine Tree Road when police say he lost control of his Toyota 4Runner just north of Silver Falls Road. Witnesses reported seeing Gibson exit the vehicle, place items in a nearby bush and leave the scene carrying two purses, according to police reports.

Emmitt Nicola, who lives in the home Gibson slammed into, said Tuesday night he called 911 at 6:23pm. At 6:28pm, police responded to a call about a purse being stolen from a vehicle parked at Hidden Hills Apartments in the 600 block of Gilmer Road. When police checked the bushes near the home, they found two IDs, one belonged to the person who reported the vehicle burglary. Gibson was also ticketed for unsafe speeds, traffic officer Rodney Smith said at the scene.

The wreck sparked a chain reaction that led to a truck, also traveling south on Pine Tree Road, becoming entangled in the lines, pulling down and damaging a connected pole across the street. The fallen utility pole stretched across two lanes of Pine Tree Road. A third utility pole also was damaged in the crash. Police worked the scene for about eight hours, according to police spokeswoman Kristie Brian.

The identity and condition of one person transported to a local medical facility have not been released. No one in the home was injured. Nicola�s landlord, Tammie Parsons, said there was structural damage to the home. Gibson is being held in the Gregg County Jail on bonds totaling $3,000 on charges of theft and fraud use and possession of identifying information.