By Tiffany Williams –
CONCORD, Vt. — A pickup truck buried in a snowbank. A second DUI charge. And another dangerous situation unfolding on a winter road in rural Vermont.
At approximately 4:01 p.m. on Feb. 13, troopers from the Vermont State Police St. Johnsbury Barracks responded to a report of a vehicle off the roadway on North Concord Road in Concord.
When they arrived, they found a white Ford F-150 stuck fast in the snow.
Behind the wheel, police identified the driver as Francisco Lopez, 52, of Lancaster, New Hampshire.
According to authorities, while speaking with Lopez, troopers observed indicators of impairment. After further investigation, Lopez was placed under arrest on suspicion of DUI #2 — a second offense.
He was transported to the Vermont State Police – St. Johnsbury Barracks for processing and later issued a citation to appear in Essex County Superior Court.
Winter roads in Vermont are unforgiving. A snowbank can stop a truck cold. But law enforcement officials repeatedly warn that alleged impaired driving turns a bad situation into a potentially deadly one — not just for the driver, but for anyone else on the road.
Lopez is scheduled to appear in Essex County Superior Court on Feb. 17 at 8:30 a.m.