Former state senator William Carris, who served as Democratic majority leader, was charged with driving under the influence this morning after swerving into oncoming traffic and colliding with a pick-up truck, causing minor injuries to its driver, Vermont State Police said.
- Vermont State Police
- William Carris
Carris, 69, was driving a 2013 Ford F-150 south on Route 133 in West Rutland when he crossed the center line around 8:30 a.m. and slammed into a 2008 GMC Sierra driven by Robert MacMurray, a 71-year-old West Rutland resident, police said.
MacMurray was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries, state police said. Carris was driving 30 mph in a stretch of Route 133 with a 40 mph speed limit. Both Carris, whom police say was uninjured, and MacMurray were wearing seat belts. Both vehicles were totaled, police said.
Carris was cited to appear in court in August to be arraigned on a charge of suspicion of DUI/drugs, which bans driving under the influence of any drug that causes impairment or drug combined with alcohol that causes impairment.
Carris resigned from the Senate in December 2012 one month after winning re-election, citing chronic back and ankle pain. He had served three terms.
His family had long owned Carris Reels, which manufactures cables and employs several hundred people. The company is now employee-owned.
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.