A 16-year-old Rochester youth caused about $50,000 in damage after his pickup truck he was driving struck a pole and a railroad crossing arm on Warsaw’s west side.
Warsaw police were alerted at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday about an abandoned pickup truck in the ditch near Zimmer Road and White Industrial Park.
Police found a set of keys still in the vehicle and two sets of foot tracks leading from the truck, but not the occupants.
The driver of the truck, Sidney Ousley, Rochester, then contacted police after he returned to the area and realized the truck had been towed.
Ousley told police he left the road after an oncoming vehicle crossed the center line and veered toward him while he was driving north on Zimmer Road.
After leaving the road, the truck crossed several tracks and then struck a pole that supported a railroad crossing arm and flashing lights. Ousley said he then tried to continue driving on Zimmer, but the vehicle ended up in a ditch because the steering system was damaged.
Ousley said he left the scene because it was cold and he was dressed in shorts.
The report said local police dispatch had been contacted by Fulton County Sheriff’s Department by a relative of Ousley’s who said that the truck had been stolen.
Norfolk Southern Railroad was contacted and estimated the damage to the railroad property was about $50,000.
No injuries were reported.
