BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested Friday after Bedford Police officer Jarrett Tedrow responded to Kindred Spirits on L Street after a report of a man slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle in the parking lot.
When police arrived, they found 47-year-old Michael Bruce in the driver’s seat of a gray Ford Escape. The vehicle was running, and Bruce’s head was tipped back and mouth wide open. Officers knocked on the window to wake Bruce, who seemed confused once awake. Police say they asked Bruce to roll down the window, and he demonstrated poor manual dexterity by reaching for nonexistent buttons near the window pillar. He was able to find the unlock button for the door.
After opening the door, police detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Bruce. Police say there was a Yeti cup in his lap that contained alcohol.
Bruce denied consuming any alcohol before going to Kindred Spirits or consuming alcohol after arriving at Kindred Spirits.
While speaking with Bruce, police observed his speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had difficulty speaking.
Bruce refused to complete any field sobriety test and declined to submit to a breath test. He later submitted to a breath test and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.210 percent.
Police reviewed security camera footage and learned that Bruce arrived at Kindred Spirits at 4:30 p.m. and never exited his vehicle.
A warrant was issued for a blood draw, and Bruce was transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital.
Bruce asked officers for a break from arrest, and the police said Bruce blamed the local liquor stores for his actions.
He was then transported to jail on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, OWI refusal, and operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent or greater.
Stone City Collision towed his vehicle.
