An off-duty Gary firefighter is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly slamming into an Indiana State Police trooper's SUV while driving drunk, then fleeing the scene through an active highway construction zone. Michael D. Rodriguez, 47, of Gary, was identified by Indiana State Police as the suspect and as a Gary firefighter.
The crash happened on Interstate 65, where Trooper Garcia was struck while sitting inside a marked Dodge Durango with its emergency lights active, according to FOX 32 Chicago. In an unusual twist, Gary firefighters took the injured trooper to Northlake Methodist Hospital — meaning Rodriguez's own colleagues helped the officer he is accused of hitting.
Fleeing Through an Active Work Zone
After the initial collision, Rodriguez allegedly fled west along Interstate 80 with severe front-end damage to his vehicle, according to WTHR. The station reports he drove directly through an active highway construction zone, forcing road-crew workers to dodge his vehicle before he continued into Gary and ran traffic signals.
Once he was stopped, Rodriguez refused both standardized field sobriety tests and a certified chemical test, per the same account. That refusal forced troopers to obtain a judge's search warrant before a blood draw could be performed at Southlake Methodist Hospital.
What Charges Rodriguez Could Face
Indiana State Police said a recommended charge package would be forwarded to the Lake County Prosecutor's Office for review, including Level 6 felony reckless driving in a construction zone while intoxicated, Level 6 felony leaving the scene of a crash causing injury, Level 6 felony OWI causing injury, and Class A and C OWI misdemeanors, the station's report states.
Under Indiana Code § 9-21-8-56, recklessly operating a vehicle in a highway worksite while under the influence of alcohol elevates what would ordinarily be a Class A misdemeanor to a Level 6 felony, according to Justia Law. Separately, Indiana Code § 9-26-1-1.1 escalates a standard hit-and-run into a Class A misdemeanor or Level 6 felony depending on the severity of the injury caused, per FindLaw.
What a Level 6 Felony Conviction Could Mean
If convicted, a Level 6 felony in Indiana carries a potential penalty ranging from six months to two and a half years of incarceration and fines up to $10,000, with a one-year advisory sentence, according to Indiana Code § 35-50-2-7 as cited by Justia Law. Rodriguez's refusal to submit to chemical testing also triggers its own consequence: under Indiana Code § 9-30-7-5, refusing a certified chemical test when suspected of OWI automatically suspends a driver's license for one year on a first offense, or two years for prior OWI offenders, per FindLaw.
The case involves a Northwest Indiana public safety employee accused of intoxicated driving.
It remains unclear whether the Gary Fire Department will place Rodriguez on administrative leave or pursue termination proceedings, whether the court-ordered blood toxicology results have come back, or whether Trooper Garcia's injuries will require extended medical recovery or time away from duty. As CBS News Chicago described it, the firefighter was charged in connection with the crash.
