MADERA RANCHOS – Candidate for Madera County Supervisor District 4 Eddie Block (43) is facing a long list of vehicle crimes following his disastrous trek through the Madera Ranchos area of Avenue 12 in Madera County that left a city block of destruction and a couple of homeowners shaken up.
Homeowner Maria Macias was awakened to the loud sound of a violent collision that sent concrete flying onto Madera County’s Avenue 12 early Wednesday morning. When she got out to her front yard a Dodge pickup was up near her neighbor’s home and her concrete mailbox and concrete pillars next to her driveway were destroyed.
"It didn't sound like a crash with a car," says Maria Macias to local media. "It sounded like a boom."
Officers from the California Highway Patrol say that Hendrik Edward Block, or Eddie as his name appears on the Madera County Ballots being mailed out next week, was headed down Avenue 12 near Loren Way when he lost control of his Dodge Ram and hit Macias's mailbox. He then overcorrected and slammed into a fence and a parked car before smashing into a home on the other side of the road. Officers say the suspect then ran from the scene.
Being that Mr. Block is a handicapped individual, who walks with the aid of a walker and cane, he was not able to “run” far as CHP caught up to him and arrested the candidate just down the street from the crash scene.
"Officers were able to grab a license plate [number] and search the area prior to arriving on the scene, and were able to locate the driver a couple of blocks away," says Greg Rodriguez with California Highway Patrol.
"The officers observed some signs of intoxication, and he was arrested on DUI as well as hit and run," Rodriguez said.
The CHP said Mr. Block was booked into the Madera County correction facility on misdemeanor charges because no one was injured in the crash. Block has since been bonded out of jail. Attempts to reach Block by phone and at his home at 916 East Cleveland Avenue in Madera were unsuccessful.
Block faces three misdemeanor counts of violations of the California Vehicle Codes, 23152(a)VC Driving under the influence, 23152(b)VC Driving under influence with BA over.08, and 20002(a) Hit and run resulting in property damages.
Block's campaign website on GoDaddy has been shut down, however his GoFundme and Facebook accounts for the campaign remain open to the public.
Block is scheduled to appear at a candidate night with his opponents Ricardo Arredondo and Leticia Gonzalez sponsored by the Madera Chamber of Commerce, Madera Tribune and Big Valley News on February 13th at 6 pm at the Frank Bergon Center at 238 South D Street in Downtown Madera.
