Cop's Alcohol Level Twice Legal Limit
VALPARAISO, Ind. (STMW) - The one beer Cpl. Ryan Fenters admitted to drinking after crashing into two parked cars early on Nov. 3 was not, in itself, enough to push him over the legal limit.
Porter County, Ind., Prosecutor Brian Gensel said on Wednesday that Fenters' blood-alcohol level came back as 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
One beer in one hour would have raised the level of a man Fenters's size by only 0.0073 percent, according to an online calculator based on a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration formula.
He then ran to another bar where he said he called his wife and had another beer. He was brought back to the scene but refused sobriety tests. After Valparaiso police obtained a warrant, his blood ultimately was drawn at 3:57 a.m.
When asked whether drinking alcohol after the crash would effect Fenters' prosecution, Gensel said he could not comment, but the 0.15 percent test result means Fenters faces an additional charge.
He now must appear on four misdemeanor charges -- operating while intoxicating endangering, drunken driving, drunken driving with a blood-alcohol level at least 0.15 percent, and leaving the scene of a crash.
Fenters, 34, of Hebron, is out on bond and has been suspended from the Sheriff's Department, with pay, while an internal investigation is conducted.
-- Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, via the Sun-Times Media Wire
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
