Dartmouth Fire District 2 and the police department used drones to locate a driver who abandoned their vehicle after striking a tree on Sunday night, Jan. 5.

Just after 9 p.m., Dartmouth Police responded to a report of a gray BMW that struck a telephone pole in the area of 603 Potomska Road. The telephone pole broke upon impact and the driver was no longer with the vehicle when police arrived. Sending out drone teams, the two departments worked to locate the driver, who was observed to have gone into the nearby woods by a witness.

In regard to the department's first drone team launch, Fire District 2 Chief Erick Turcotte said, “It went well. The team worked well. We searched some areas.”

Though the police department’s drone team were the ones to locate the driver, he said it went well for their first time. 

Officers were able to locate and identify Joshua Gallaudet, 41, of Dartmouth, who sustained minor injuries in the accident and transported to the hospital.

Through the preliminary investigation, it is suspected that alcohol impairment may have been a contributing factor. The incident remains under investigation by the Dartmouth Police Department and charges are pending.