A Monday evening sideswipe of a big-rig tractor-trailer rig on Mitchell Road south of Whitmore Avenue was blamed on a drunken driver of a passenger car.

The crash occurred at 8:17 p.m.

Officer Arthur Hively located the driver of the sedan, David Lewis, 28, of Modesto, sitting in his car parked in the parking lot to the south of the Bank of America. Police learned that Lewis pulled out from the post office parking lot to travel northbound on Mitchell Road and as it entered the middle lane it sideswiped a passing big rig traveling in the same direction.

Hively smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from Lewis, who was not injured in the collision. Lewis said he had drank two beers before the crash. He failed a field sobriety test and the breathalyzer indicated he had a .30 blood alcohol content, nearly three times over the legal limit.

Lewis was booked for DUI.