BEDFORD – An Oolitic man was arrested after police say he drove up onto a sidewalk and was found driving under the influence
Bedford Police officers arrested 22-year-old Tyler Fitzpatrick on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, OWI endangerment, and OWI per se.
Bedford Police Sgt. Faheem Bade was driving north on Lincoln Avenue on Sunday, April 7, at 1:06 a.m., when he got behind a black Chevrolet Blazer and noticed the vehicle leave the roadway and go onto the sidewalk near 5th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Sgt. Bade stopped the driver near 4th Street and Lincoln Avenue.
Sgt. Bade said Fitzpatrick smelled of alcohol, had glassy eyes, and had slurred speech.
He told police he was ‘honestly, I am under a of pressure”. When asked how much he had to drink, Fitzpatrick replied, “I’m screwed”.
Fitzpatrick was asked to step out of his vehicle, and that is when Sgt. Bade noticed an open Coors Lite bottle along with a holstered firearm in the center console.
Fitzpatrick failed several field sobriety tests. He submitted to a preliminary breath test
which yielded a result of 0.177 blood-alcohol content.
Fitzpatrick’s girlfriend, who was also in the vehicle, admitted she was yelling at him when he drove onto the sidewalk. She also stated they both had just left Shorty’s Bar & Grill.
The vehicle was towed from the scene because the license plate was more than six months expired. The passenger called a friend to pick her up from the scene by Bland’s Wrecker Service.
Fitzpatrick was transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital after a warrant was issued for a blood draw. After being medically cleared, Fitzpatrick was transported to jail.
