Newly released police reports and body camera footage show Porter Superior Court Judge Christopher Buckley telling an officer “I’m a judge, you just ruined my career” moments after his arrest for operating while intoxicated in Michigan City. The 46-year-old judge’s blood-alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.221% per the warrant, nearly three times Indiana’s legal limit of 0.08%, and he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge just two days later.
The arrest unfolded around 9:05 p.m. on August 15, 2026, when officers saw Buckley’s 2024 Lincoln Navigator drive around large concrete planters and enter a restricted area near Bartlett’s Fish Camp, according to police reports and body camera footage detailed by the Chicago Tribune. Michigan City Police documented in the probable cause affidavit, as reported by NWI Times, that Buckley had driven his Lincoln Navigator past those barriers into an area of Heisman Harbor not designated for vehicles. Buckley and his wife told police they had been dropping off an older gentleman near the lakefront when officers stopped them.
Buckley stumbled as he exited his vehicle, initially refused field sobriety tests, and ultimately refused an on-scene chemical test altogether, according to the Chicago Tribune’s review of the records. Police grabbed his arm three times to tell him he was not free to leave. His wife’s own reported blood-alcohol concentration was 0.19%, per the police report.
“You Just Ruined My Career”
According to the Chicago Tribune, Buckley told the arresting officer that he was going to ruin his career or life, and at another point said plainly, “I’m a judge, you just ruined my career.” Police believed his references to a ruined career or life concerned his status as a judge, the outlet reported. Buckley told officers he has struggled with alcohol since serving in the Marine Corps more than two decades ago.
Officers obtained a warrant for a blood draw and took Buckley to Northwest Health-LaPorte for the procedure before transporting him to a holding cell at the Michigan City Police Department. He was later handed off to LaPorte County jail staff. Buckley was initially charged with two Class A misdemeanors and one Class C misdemeanor, including operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15% or more and operating while intoxicated and endangering a person.
A Guilty Plea In Two Days
Buckley finalized a plea agreement in LaPorte County Court on August 17, just 48 hours after his Saturday night arrest, according to Lakeshore Public Media. He pleaded guilty to a single Class C misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated. Under Indiana Code § 9-30-5-1 and § 35-50-3-4, a standard first-offense OWI carries up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine as a Class C misdemeanor, while a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15% or higher would have elevated the charge to a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Buckley received a suspended 60-day jail sentence, six months of probation, and credit for two days of time served and good behavior. He was also ordered to undergo treatment and monitoring through the Judicial and Legal Assistance Program. Separately, under Indiana Code § 9-30-6-1, refusing an on-scene chemical test triggers an automatic administrative driver’s license suspension through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, one year for a first refusal or two years for someone with a prior OWI conviction.
The speed of the resolution drew criticism from local political leaders, coming as Northwest Indiana was still recovering from severe August storms that knocked out power to more than 300,000 residents and slowed county administrative operations, per Lakeshore Public Media. Buckley told the Chicago Tribune he received no special treatment and said he accepted full responsibility for the allegations, stating he made poor decisions that led to his arrest. He also acknowledged that he violated the code of judicial conduct.
Not His First OWI
Records show this was not Buckley’s first brush with drunk driving. He was found guilty of misdemeanor operating while intoxicated in Hobart City Court in 2009, according to the Chicago Tribune’s reporting. Buckley previously served as judge of the Lowell Town Court in Lake County from 2016 through 2020 and worked as an adjunct law professor at Valparaiso University School of Law until it closed that year, per his campaign website.
That earlier tenure on the bench also carries baggage. In November 2021, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications issued Buckley a public admonishment after finding, per the NWI Times, that he had repeatedly withheld bail from criminal defendants without the required written prosecutor motions or clear evidentiary hearings while presiding over Lowell Town Court. An admonition review found that his case files lacked written motions to revoke or notations of oral motions, even though defendants before him were entitled to bail under standard procedure, and he issued “no bond” determinations when defendants were arrested on subsequent offenses.
Judicial Oversight And What Comes Next
Following his arrest, Buckley self-reported the incident to the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, the state agency with statutory authority under Indiana Code § 33-38-14 to investigate judicial misconduct and recommend formal discipline or interim suspension to the Indiana Supreme Court, according to the ABA Journal. Under Indiana Admission and Discipline Rule 25, the state Supreme Court has authority to issue an interim suspension with pay against a sitting judge pending formal disciplinary charges if necessary to preserve public confidence in the judiciary. It remains an open question whether the court will take that step, or pursue formal disciplinary proceedings, before the November election.
As Porter Superior Court 4 Judge since January 2021, Buckley has overseen misdemeanor and low-level felony cases as well as the county’s mental health problem-solving court, the Porter County Mental Health Restoration Court, which connects eligible participants with treatment, structured accountability, and community-based resources. That court has a graduation ceremony scheduled for September 14 at the Butterfield Pavilion in Valparaiso, according to the Chicago Tribune.
He’s Staying On The Ballot
Buckley, a Republican, is running for a second term this November against Democrat Heather McCarthy, and he will remain on the ballot despite the arrest. Under Indiana’s election code, the deadline for a major-party candidate nominated in a May primary to voluntarily withdraw from the November general election ballot was noon on July 15, 2026, under IC 3-8-7-28, weeks before Buckley’s arrest even occurred. Porter County Republican Party Chair Nate Uldricks said it is too late for Buckley to withdraw from the ballot, per his comments reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Porter County Democratic Party Chair Don Craft has called for Buckley’s resignation and for the county Republican Party to denounce his actions. Buckley has temporarily suspended his campaign following his guilty plea, and he lives in Valparaiso. The Michigan City Police Department provided the underlying police reports and body camera videos through a records request that formed the basis of the Chicago Tribune’s reporting, credited to reporter Amy Lavalley in the outlet’s Post-Tribune coverage.
