A Forestburg man collided with another vehicle and then ran into the Avera Brady Health and Rehab center on South Ohlman Street in Mitchell on Sunday afternoon.
Just before 4 p.m., Lee Hinker’s 2001 Ford F350 is said to have crossed into oncoming lanes and crashed into a pickup, then left the road and collided into a brick wall of the health center.
According to police on the scene, Hinker then backed up and reentered the roadway, where he continued south to Cubbys service station on the corner of S. Ohlman and Havens Avenue. Witnesses reported seeing Hinker at the gas station and called police.
A western corner of Avera Brady received major structural damage to a wall and a window of a room that housed two women, who have now had to be relocated.
The vehicle Hinker collided with was a 2010 Ford F-150 driven by 72-year-old Dennis Olson. Olson’s pickup was totaled, while Hinker’s also had major front-end damage, but was not likely totaled.
No one was injured in the accident.
Hinker, 57, was arrested and charged with first-offense DUI. A blood alcohol test revealed a 0.192 BAC. Hinker was also charged with hit and run and no proof of insurance.
DUI and hit and run are both class 1 misdemeanors, punishable with up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine, while driving without proof of insurance is a class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.