Police arrest man suspected of knocking over Kalakaua utility pole
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Crews from Hawaiian Electric Co. worked to repair a downed utility pole along Kalakaua Avenue this morning. The street was closed in both directions between Kapiolani Boulevard and Makaloa Street around 2:30 a.m.
The downed utility pole that closed a portion of Kalakaua Avenue for nearly 12 hours Thursday was caused by a drunken driver, police said.
Wayne Ramel, 56, was arrested for drunk driving, driving without a license and refusing to submit to a breathalyzer just after 2:30 a.m. Thursday after he lost control of the car he was driving near Makaloa Street and hit a utility pole, bringing it and another pole down.
Kalakaua Avenue was closed until 1 p.m. while Hawaiian Telcom crews fixed the poles.
However, telephone users in the area were not affected since no phone cables were severed.
