A fence and headstones were damaged after a vehicle drover over them early Wednesday morning.
City workers clear debris at Ash Street and J Street where an alleged drunk driver drove through a fence at Washington Lawn Cemetery, causing damage to the fence and tomb stones.
An allegedly intoxicated Centralia man drove a vehicle through a fence at Washington Lawn Cemetery early Wednesday morning, damaging several headstones and a tree, according to officers with the Centralia Police Department.
Nathaniel J. Orosco, 21, was booked into the Lewis County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence. Arrest records indicate the crash was reported at 3:34 a.m. Wednesday.
Centralia Police Department Sgt. Dave Clary told The Chronicle officers responded to a “significant” vehicle collision near the intersection of Ash and J Streets.
At the scene, they found a truck that had just collided with a tree. Orosco was at the scene intoxicated, said Clary, and he told officers that he was the one who had been driving the truck.
Officers estimate Orosco was moving at high speeds when he left the roadway — possibly in the ballpark of 70 miles per hour.
Clary said the stretch of road adjacent to the cemetery is curved, and estimated a motorist going in excess of 25 mph would have a difficult time negotiating the turn.
Clary didn’t have an estimated cost to all damages, but stated the nature of the crash would lend itself to “significant” price tag.
“Headstones are not cheap,” he said.
City workers were on scene Wednesday afternoon, clearing debris off the roadway. The mangled fence was still on display, along with a cluster of damaged headstones nearest the road.
