State legislator arrested on suspicion of drunken driving
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A state lawmaker from southern Indiana was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of drunken driving after crashing his vehicle at an Interstate 65 interchange and leaving the scene, state police said.
Republican Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour was booked into the Jackson County Jail on preliminary charges that include driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.
Lucas, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2012, is a prominent supporter of loosening state gun laws and marijuana legalization. He has faced controversy several times for what critics called racist social media posts, including in 2020 when he posted a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!”
His legislative office and a spokeswoman for House Speaker Todd Huston didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about his arrest.
Police were called soon after midnight Wednesday about a vehicle crashing into a guardrail at the I-65 and Indiana 11 interchange just north of Seymour, state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said. That vehicle was found on the north side of Seymour with heavy damage and officers stopped Lucas as he was walking nearby, Wheeles said.
Lucas was arrested after troopers conducted sobriety tests and results on blood tests for his intoxication level were not yet available, he said.