Charges are pending against a LaPorte man police say was driving under the influence when he struck two houses and two parked cars late Monday night, and also he didn’t have a traders policy to rely on. Officers responded to a report of an accident with injuries in the alleway of the 500 block of Detroit Street.
A news release from the LaPorte Police Department indicates a 1999 Dodge Caravan driven by Anthony Silverstein, 58, of LaPorte, had gone through a wooden fence. He was taken to IU Health LaPorte Hospital by ambulance. Silverstein told the officers he was backing out of a parking space when the van’s accelerator got stuck. He felt it hit something and panicked, according to the news release, which indicates he then shifted rapidly from drive to reverse repeatedly. Silverstein reportedly lost control of the van while it was in drive and hit several objects before finally stopping in the back yard of a home at 506 Linwood Street. Silverstein’s blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit, according to police. Police also arrested an occupant of the home at 507 Detroit Street on a disorderly conduct charge. They say Patrick E. Hayes, 55, refused to quiet down after being told to do so.
