BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested on a warrant from 2022 when police say he was driving drunk and found pills during a traffic stop.
Police arrested 32-year-old Robert Curren on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, OWI endangerment, and possession of a legend drug.
Bedford Police Department Sgt Faheem Bade was on patrol on June 29, 2022, at 8:18 p.m. in the area of 19th Street when he noticed an orange Toyota creeping west. Sgt. Bade said the vehicle was traveling around two miles per hour.
Sgt. Bade initiated a traffic stop, but the driver continued slowly down the street. Sgt. Bade then noticed the driver’s head was down. Sgt. Bade activated his air horn, and the driver turned north onto I Street. Then, he jerked the vehicle to the left and stopped in the middle of the road.
Sgt. Bade approached Curren, the driver, and asked him why he had stopped in the middle of the road. He told police he was on his phone and didn’t see any vehicles behind him.
Curren was asked to step out of the vehicle. He was unsteady and had glassy eyes. He was asked if he had been drinking or on medication. He said he had not drunk any alcohol but had taken Suboxone, Paxil, and seizure medication that morning.
He failed several field sobriety tests.
Curren then consented to a blood draw. His vehicle was parked and secured and left on the side of the road. Curren was transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital.
Police found a white pill in the vehicle. Curren said, “it’s so weird that was in there.” The pill was Gabapentin.
Once the blood draw was completed, Curren was released.
Police learned Curren has two convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated over the last three years.
The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and a warrant was issued for Curren’s arrest.
