Semi driver accused of drunk driving on highway

Bartholomew County deputies say an intoxicated semi driver nearly hit a patrol car on Interstate 65 in an incident over the weekend.

Deputies received reports of a possibly impaired semi driver a few miles south of the Columbus exit at about 3:03 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The driver came close to hitting a deputy’s vehicle when the semi swerved into the deputy’s lane.

The vehicle was stopped south of the Edinburgh exit and the driver, 49-year-old Brian Crawford of Hampton, Georgia, was taken into custody. His vehicle was towed and animal control was called to take custody of a dog in the vehicle.

He is facing a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or greater.