A city man pleaded guilty to driving charges Wednesday after police say he crashed his car earlier that morning, striking two other vehicles and a house.
Police arrested Joseph Morrell, 29, of 611 Elm St., and charged him with first offense driving under the influence, first offense driving on a revoked license and failure to exercise due care.
Morrell appeared Wednesday in Carter County General Sessions Court, where he entered a guilty plea to DUI and driving on a revoked license.
Judge Keith Bowers dismissed the charge of failure to exercise due care. Bowers ordered Morrell to serve two days in jail and 11 months, 29 days on probation, as well as pay a $350 fine and court costs on the DUI charge and a $50 fine and court costs for the revoked license charge.
Morrell was arrested after officers of the Elizabethton Police Department responded to a report of a wreck at 1548 Southside Road at 2:16 a.m. Wednesday, EPD Officer Matthew Taylor said.
When Taylor arrived on scene, he spoke with the driver of the wrecked car, identified as Morrell, and a passenger he identified as Andy Davis. Taylor noted in his report that he smelled alcohol on Morrell and Davis.
While being interviewed by police, Davis told the officers, “We should not have been driving” and admitted he and Morrell were drunk, Taylor said. Morrell also admitted to drinking, Taylor said, and told officers he was driving in excess of 60 mph on Southside Road just before the wreck.
After investigating the crash, Taylor determined Morrell had struck two vehicles and the front porch of the house at 1548 Southside Road.
Taylor arrested Morrell and took him to the Carter County Detention Center. Another officer took Davis home.