Montville – A motor vehicle crash that knocked out power to several Oakdale neighborhoods and closed Route 163 for 12 hours was caused by a drunken driver, state police said.

Kevin A. Fratoni, 20, of 59 Church Road in Oakdale was traveling northwest on Route 163 in a pick-up truck at 4:35 p.m. Thursday when police said he swerved off the left side of the road, struck a mailbox, hit and snapped a utility pole and collided with a stone wall.

The crash, just west of Raymond Hill Road, knocked out power to 500 homes for about three hours. The road was closed to all traffic and utility crews spent the night repairing the pole. The road was reopened at 5 this morning.

Police said Fratoni, with no reported injuries, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.