INDIANAPOLIS—New information detailing the run up to the May 31 arrest of Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, on three charges—operating a vehicle while intoxicated, operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing endangerment, and leaving the scene of a property damage crash—came to light this week after multiple news outlets obtained the Indiana State Police’s crash report.
Lucas, whose breath smelled of alcohol, according to police, told officers he had swerved to avoid a deer and then tried to drive home.
In his latest statement of economic interest that all General Assembly members fill out, Lucas lists his business, The Awning Guy, as his address, which is almost six miles away from State Road 11 and Interstate 65—the scene of the crash.
It was there, according to reports, that Lucas ran into guardrails and briefly drove his pickup truck the wrong way on an on-ramp. Lucas attempted to drive home but, down to just one working tire, he didn’t make it three miles before parking behind a local business.
The vehicle was found by a police officer, and Lucas was discovered nearby, seemingly aiming to walk the rest of the way. (If it was his destination, The Awning Guy was about three miles away.)
Not the first, but the latest
Lucas joins a list of Indiana politicians to be embroiled in a drunk-driving-related scandal—with a high-profile incident occurring not even a year ago.
Tom Henry, the Democratic mayor of Fort Wayne, was arrested Oct. 9 last year and pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering a person. This led to his license being suspended for 90 days and not being allowed to drink alcohol for a year, among other things.
At the time, FOX 55 reported that the then-70-year-old mayor was speeding through a roundabout and went into the wrong lane, hitting another car.
In February, the Fort Wayne city council declined to investigate the incident, voting 6-3.
Henry is running for reelection this year against Fort Wayne city council member Thomas Didier. The incumbent won the Democratic primary with 78% of the vote in May but, per his punishment, had to celebrate as a teetotaler.
The Indianapolis Star reported in 2018 how Luke Messer, a Republican U.S. representative at the time, hadn’t divulged his two DUIs from the 1990s before being chosen to fill a state House seat vacated in 2003 when Rep. Roland Stine was killed in an accident caused by a drunken driver.
Messer finished third in the Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat less than a month after the Star’s article. Sen. Mike Braun won the primary and the general election.
About a year later, Rep. Dan Forestal, D-Indianapolis, was arrested under the charges of driving while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and impersonating a public servant. After another incident involving police in 2020, Forestal resigned from the General Assembly, saying, “The time is long overdue for me to focus on my mental health and get myself well.â€
On July 14, 2021, Forestal was discovered dead in a Quality Inn during a welfare check by police. The circumstances around his death have still not been released, but it was reported at the time that police didn’t suspect foul play.
What now?
As of Monday, the Jackson County prosecutor had not determined whether criminal charges would be brought against Lucas.
According to the Indiana Constitution, the House can “punish its members for disorderly behavior, and may, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.â€
The Republican caucus could also take steps, such as removing Lucas from committees. While the General Assembly website shows no change in committee responsibilities for Forestal from 2019 to 2020, Lucas has lost committee spots in the past.
Three years ago, House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, removed Lucas from two study committees and reassigned him from vice chair of a standing committee to just a member because of a meme he posted to social media that was criticized as racist.
“There would be a process if it happened in the executive branch that we would follow, but I won’t prejudge the outcome before he’s offered his day in court,†Gov. Eric Holcomb told FOX59 in regard to the recent incident.
The Statehouse File reached out to Huston about whether the Indiana General Assembly has a process for addressing members who are arrested. Huston’s press contact relayed that “the speaker’s office will not be responding to Rep. Jim Lucas’ personal matter.â€
The Democratic House caucus also declined to comment.
Lucas has been a staunch defender of expanding gun rights and decriminalizing marijuana during his six terms as a representative.
In 2021, Lucas introduced a bill that expanded on possible defenses for operating a vehicle under the influence of a schedule I or II controlled substance.
The bill’s identical twin in the Indiana Senate, authored by Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis, and co-sponsored by Lucas—which gave Hoosiers a defense if they had marijuana in their system identified by a chemical test but were not intoxicated and didn’t cause a traffic accident—was passed and then signed into law by Holcomb.Â
The Statehouse File attempted to speak to Lucas over the phone, but the lawmaker didn’t answer.
