Vermont Police Blame Texting on Crash Into Cruiser

Vermont police say a 33-year-old motorist was distracted while writing a text message on his cellphone when he crashed into a police car.

Vermont State Police say Jesse Clayton crashed into a Rutland police cruiser at about 1 a.m. Friday.

Police told the Rutland Herald that Clayton came to a momentary stop at a stop sign, but wasn’t paying attention when pulling into the intersection and striking the side of the cruiser driven by Officer Edward Dumas that was also passing through the intersection.

Nobody was injured, but both vehicles sustained damages. Police say Clayton was issued several traffic citations.

Texting while driving is illegal in Vermont, punishable by a fine of $100 and two points on a driver’s license for a first offense