A Litchfield man has been charged with operating under the influence after a car he was operating early Saturday morning left the road and struck a utility pole, causing a power outage and sending a passenger of his to the hospital, Kennebec County Sheriff Ryan Reardon said in a Monday news release.

Aaron D. Cowan, 30, was driving on Huntington Hill Road in Litchfield around 12:45 a.m. when his vehicle left the road and collided with the pole, Reardon said.

Another man riding in the car was taken to the hospital after complaining of pain, Reardon said. The man “may have been ejected” from the car, Reardon added.

After deputies began to suspect that Cowan was operating under the influence, Reardon said, they took him into custody and administered a breath test that showed his blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent. That means Cowan’s blood alcohol level was allegedly close to 0.24 percent.

They issued him a summons on a charge of operating under the influence, but deputies suspected he was also texting while driving, Reardon added.

Crews from Central Maine Power arrived at the site to replace one pole that was destroyed and repair another pole that was damaged. They restored power after several hours, Reardon said. Rescue workers from Litchfield and Gardiner also responded to the scene.