Bedford man with prior convictions arrested on OWI charges again

BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested Saturday night after Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Andrew Tillett stopped his vehicle at 16th and S Streets.

Deputy Tillett requested assistance, and Indiana State Trooper Jesse Crane responded.

The driver, 49-year-old Warner Beauregard, smelled of alcohol, his eyes were red and glassy, and his speech was slurred. When asked to exit the vehicle, Beauregard staggered while walking to the rear bumper.

Warner Beauregard

He failed several field sobriety tests. His blood-alcohol level was 0.155 percent during a preliminary breath test.

Beauregard admitted to drinking Vudu Ranger beers and said he was not okay to drive. An open container of beer was found in his vehicle. He told police his last drink was about 20 minutes before police stopped him.

Beauregard was detained on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and OWI with a prior conviction and transported to the Lawrence County Jail. Once there, he submitted to a certified breath test and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.163.

Police learned Beauregard has two prior convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and was convicted on August 17, 2020, and November 19, 2018, in Morgan County.