Driver accused of crashing into school pickup lane while drunk

February 14, 2020 John Clark

Patrick A. Swan. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

A driver with a blood alcohol level more than four times the legal limit, was involved in a crash in the pickup lane at Richards Elementary School yesterday, police report.

Columbus Police, including a school resource officer on site at the school on Fairlawn Drive, responded to a minor accident in the pick up lane at about 2:50 p.m. Thursday afternoon. While investigating the crash, they could smell alcohol on the breath of the driver, 37-year-old Patrick A. Swan of Columbus and noticed he was unsteady on his feet.

He failed several field sobriety tests and blew a .361% blood alcohol level on a breath test. After being checked out at Columbus Regional Hospital, he was arrested on a preliminary charge of Operating a Vehicle with a BAC of .15% or greater.