A Vermont man faces a DUI charge after police say he crashed his car into a veterans memorial on Memorial Day. Monday about a single-vehicle crash at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Furnace Road in Randolph. Officers identified the driver as John Kunkle of Barre. Police say they observed signs of deterioration and Kunkle was arrested. A flagpole was significantly damaged at the entrance to the cemetery as a result of the accident. The Randolph Center Fire Department had to remove the pole as a safety precaution because it was leaning too far. The Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs is in charge of maintaining the cemetery. Executive Director Robert Burke said the 40-foot pole had been there since 1993. Burke said it will be a replacement process, as he has never had to do it before. They will host their annual Memorial Day commemoration at the cemetery this Thursday at 3 pm, where Governor Phil Scott and Senator Peter Welch are expected to attend. Burke is glad the damage wasn’t more severe. “It’s a spectacular place,” Burke said. “It is a more than appropriate place for us to deposit our veterans. “We do the best we can to keep it as pristine as possible.” Kunkle was injured in the crash and was transported to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph before being transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where his condition was reported to be stable. Kunkle was summoned to appear in court on July 31.
RANDOLPH, Vt. —
A Vermont man faces a DUI charge after police say he crashed his car into a veterans memorial on Memorial Day.
Monday about a single-vehicle crash at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Furnace Road in Randolph.
Officers identified the driver as John Kunkle of Barre. Police say they observed signs of deterioration and Kunkle was arrested.
As a result of the accident, a flagpole at the entrance to the cemetery was severely damaged. The Randolph Center Fire Department had to remove the pole as a safety precaution because it was leaning too far.
The Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs is in charge of maintaining the cemetery.
Executive Director Robert Burke said the 40-foot pole had been there since 1993.
Burke said it will be a replacement process, as he has never had to do it before.
They will host their annual Memorial Day commemoration at the cemetery this Thursday at 3 pm, where Governor Phil Scott and Senator Peter Welch are expected to attend.
Burke is glad the damage wasn’t more severe.
“It’s a spectacular place,” Burke said. “It is a more than appropriate place for us to deposit our veterans. “We do the best we can to keep it as pristine as possible.”
Kunkle was injured in the crash and was transported to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph before being transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where his condition was reported to be stable.
Kunkle was summoned to appear in court on July 31.
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