A Portland Fire & Rescue inspector had forgotten his food in a taxi and was chasing after it in a city van when he crashed last month, court records show.
James R. Morelli, 54, had taken the taxi home after drinking at a bar, then realized he left his food inside after the cab drove off, according to a search warrant. He said he got into his Portland fire minivan and tried to catch up to the taxi.
"Not a good night," Morelli said to the Clackamas County deputy who responded, according to the warrant. "Let's be honest, I should not have been driving."
The deputy found Morelli about 2:50 a.m. on May 28 in the 17800 block of South Lower Highland Road in Beavercreek outside the crashed 2006 Dodge Caravan, according to the warrant seeking a blood sample to determine his blood alcohol level.
Morelli, who has been with the fire agency for 26 years, had gotten a little more than a mile from home when he veered off the road, tried to get back and rolled the minivan on the road, the warrant said.