WINCHESTER, IN — A Winchester man is accused of operating a golf cart with three young passengers on board while highly intoxicated.
Justin L. Petry, 39, was charged on Tuesday, May 12, in Randolph Circuit Court with driving while intoxicated and three counts of neglect of a dependent. All four charges are Level 6 felonies carrying up to 30 months in prison.
A Winchester police officer reported he observed Petry operating the golf cart, near the intersection of East Short Street and Middle School Road, shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday.
The officer approached the cart after Petry allegedly made an turn without using a signal, and reported he immediately smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage.
The officer said the Winchester man “would not give a straight answer,” reporting the words were “slurred, mumbling and body movements lethargic.”
Petry was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Three children riding in the golf cart were released to the custody of their mother.
A blood test conducted at Ascension St. Vincent Randolph Hospital measured Petry’s blood alcohol content at 0.257. In Indiana, motorists with a BAC of 0.08 or higher are considered intoxicated.
The Winchester man was then delivered to the Randolph County Jail.
According to court records, Petry, then of Lebanon, was convicted of driving while intoxicated in Boone County in 2008.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Police: Golf cart operator, with three young passengers, was drunk
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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