He probably should have called it a night. Instead, 54-year-old Robert Scott Binder was arrested by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office after allegedly crashing into a cargo van and ski boat, leaving the scene, going home to get another vehicle then driving to a local bar.
Deputies first made contact with Binder at Mai Wah’s Restaurant at 18088 SE Mcloughlin Blvd., responding to a DUII call. The caller had reported a man who had been cut off at the restaurant bar and who was attempting to drive away in his white Ford F-150 pickup truck while inebriated. The caller and other witnesses had intervened and were trying to stop Binder from leaving the scene.
Binder had reportedly had trouble at the wheel. A witness said he had mistakenly put the truck into reverse and driven onto the sidewalk, then put it into park and revved the engine loudly.
As deputies continued their interviews, a connection was made to a separate hit-and-run case from Milwaukie earlier in the evening. A resident had reported that a vehicle had crashed into a van and boat parked in his driveway. Both the van and the boat had sustained major damage as a result of the crash. The van had been purchased just two days earlier.
The man ran outside in time to see the suspect drive away in a silver Mazda, which was also badly damaged. The deputies found the vehicle, however, later that evening, parked outside a different residence in Milwaukie. The name on the registration? A Mr. Robert Scott Binder.
Piecing together the various pieces of evidence, deputies believe Binder went to the Chinese restaurant at approximately 7 p.m., had some drinks and left without paying, crashed into the van and boat around 9:30, fled the hit-and-run scene, drove to his nearby residence, parked it on the curb, got into the Ford F-150 he also owns, and drove back to Mai Wah’s Restaurant — where he was contacted by deputies on the 10:38 p.m. DUII incident. Talk about a busy night!
The suspect was subsequently arrested and transported to Clackamas County Jail. He also had both his car and truck towed.
