DEERFIELD — A Turners Falls man faces various charges, including his third OUI offense, after allegedly driving a vehicle into a River Road house last weekend.

Jason E. Tyler, 50, pleaded not guilty in Greenfield District Court on Monday to charges of OUI-liquor, failure to drive in the right lane, malicious destruction of property valued at more than $1,200, driving at a rate exceeding the posted limit and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. According to a report filed by Deerfield Police Officer Timothy Capuano, the SUV Tyler was driving struck a house at 342 River Road, which was then rendered uninhabitable by a fire caused by the impact.

Capuano reported that at 12:58 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, he and Officer Mark Wilkins were dispatched to the area of 16 Sunrise Ave. for reported gunshot sounds and a man yelling for help. Multiple explosions had been heard. It was reported that there was an active fire outside the back of the house at 342 River Road. Sunrise Avenue connects to River Road two properties north of the affected house.

Wilkins arrived to find a man — later identified as Tyler — lying on the grass approximately 30 feet from the SUV. According to the police report, the vehicle, like the house, was on fire. Tyler was dragged to a location farther away from the fire.

Capuano arrived at 1:08 a.m. and noticed the vehicle had rolled onto the driver’s side. An investigation later revealed the vehicle went airborne three times, including over a stone wall 245 feet, 10 inches from the roadway before coming to its final resting place behind the house.

According to Capuano’s report, he and Wilkins entered the residence to evacuate any occupants but found the house was empty. The two officers then returned to Tyler, who was complaining of pain in both legs, so they requested South County EMS. The officers noticed multiple lacerations to the top of Tyler’s head and right leg, below the knee, as well as scrape marks on his left elbow and on both legs.

Tyler reportedly told officers a deer ran in front of the vehicle, causing him to swerve to avoid it. This, he said, forced the vehicle off the roadway and into the home. The vehicle, estimated to have been going at least 60 mph, also took out a concrete bollard. An investigation revealed no signs of the vehicle braking or swerving, only a line directly into the house.

Tyler reportedly told officers it took him 10 to 15 minutes to free himself from the SUV and he did so by using his son’s baseball bat to break the rear windshield. He said he grabbed a nearby garden hose to try to extinguish the fire but could not get the hose to function. The South Deerfield Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fires.

“Members of the South Deerfield Fire Department did an amazing job saving the home from complete loss,” the Deerfield Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. River Road was closed for several hours while first responders worked on scene.

Capuano reported Tyler’s speech was “slurred.”

“There were long pauses in his speech mid-sentence, and between sentences,” Capuano wrote in his report, adding that he detected the smell of alcohol on Tyler’s breath.

Tyler reportedly told Capuano he had had a few drinks in Whately between 11 p.m. and closing time at 12:30 a.m. Tyler declined medical treatment as well as a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test, at which time officers arrested him due to his glossy, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol.

He was taken to the Deerfield Police Station for booking and his bail was set at $1,000. He was released once the bail was posted.

Tyler has a pretrial conference scheduled for Sept. 18 in Greenfield District Court.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.