According to West Frankfort Chief of Police Jeff Tharp, officers from the WFPD responded to a call late Friday night in which a vehicle had crashed into a residence located within the 1000 block of West St. Louis Street then reportedly fled from the scene.
Upon arriving at the residence, WFPD officers found a large hole in the brick front of the home. During an inspection, officers located an Illinois license plate among the debris. The license plate was used to trace the vehicle, which was quickly located at 704 N. Washington Boulevard.
The purple Ford Explorer was identified as the vehicle involved in the crash due to the presence of matching debris from the damaged residence. The vehicle's driver was subsequently identified as Billy J. Childers, 31, of West Frankfort.
After initially resisting the officers attempt to take him into custody, Childers was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, improper lane usage and resisting a police officer.
Tharp indicated that Childers' blood alcohol level was nearly twice Illinois' legal driving limit.
