Car slams into Grand Avenue home

NORWALK — A 64-year-old Bellevue man was cited for operating a vehicle while impaired after his car crashed into a Grand Avenue residence Monday evening, according to the Norwalk police. Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Grand Ave. around 6 p.m. for a report of a vehicle that had struck a house. According to the police report, a gray Volkswagen Jetta was observed leaving a nearby home and traveling erratically before crossing the roadway, entering another home's driveway, striking a fence and then crashing into the east side of another residence. The vehicle came to rest lodged against the home. Police reported the car sustained disabling damage and was towed from the scene. The report also states that after the crash, the driver attempted to back the vehicle out of the residence. The homeowner told police he reached through the window and turned off the ignition. According to the report, the driver restarted the vehicle and again attempted to move it before the homeowner turned it off a second time. A neighbor also intervened and turned off the ignition, damaging the key in the process. A witness told officers he observed the vehicle leave a nearby driveway and travel in an unusual manner before it crossed the street and struck the home. He described the vehicle as "driving crazily," according to the report. The homeowners were inside the residence at the time of the crash. The impact caused visible structural damage to the home, including damage to an interior bathroom and hot water heater area, the report states. Officers noted in the report that the driver appeared unsteady and lethargic and that there was a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. When asked how much he had to drink, the driver told officers he did not know, according to the report. Emergency medical personnel evaluated him at the scene. Police cited the driver for operating a vehicle while impaired and failure to control, both misdemeanor charges. A urine sample was collected for further testing, according to the report. No additional injuries were listed in the report. The incident remains under investigation.