Teen cited for DUI in hit-and-run

BROOKINGS – A young Brookings woman who police say left the scene after driving into a light pole on West 13th Street is facing a number of charges this week as a result of her actions.

Brookings police said that the department received a 911 call shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, the calling party reporting that a vehicle had just struck a light pole in the 500 block of 13th Street West and then left the scene.

After the vehicle drove off, the caller said, the car proceeded to a residence in the 700 block of 13th Street West.

The responding officer located the vehicle and was able to identify the driver.

The car, a 1997 Chevy Lumina, had extensive damage to the front fender and the passenger-side quarter panel. Both the windshield and a rear window were damaged, and a passenger-side tire was deflated.

The officer said that the driver was an 18-year-old female, and he alleged she had been drinking at the time of the accident. She apparently had two passengers in the car when she hit the light pole.

The driver was identified as Taneil Jonker of Brookings, and following a sobriety test, she was arrested and transported to the Brookings County Detention Center. She is charged with hit-and-run property damage, a zero-tolerance DUI, underage consumption and no proof of insurance.

Police have not yet released a damage estimate for the car or the pole; the pole was standing but had “significant damage.”