A 25-year-old probationary officer with the Porter County Sheriff's Office is out of a job after Valparaiso police pulled him over and arrested him on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. Ty Bonnell had been with the sheriff's office for less than a year when the traffic stop ended his brief law enforcement career.
Valparaiso police officers made the stop in the 200 block of Center Street shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, according to CBS Chicago. Officers arrested Bonnell on the spot, and he was ultimately charged with four misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated, per the same report.
A booking page for a Ty Steven Bonnell arrested in Porter County on Sunday lists charges that include operating a vehicle while intoxicated with an endangerment allegation, according to a Porter County booking record. Beyond the charge listing, few additional details about the arrest have been made public.
Conflicting Accounts of the Firing Date
Exactly when the Porter County Sheriff's Office cut Bonnell loose isn't entirely clear. CBS Chicago's report states the sheriff's office fired Bonnell on Monday after reviewing the incident, while The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that the officer was fired Sunday, the same day as his early-morning arrest.
Northwest Indiana's paper of record described the case plainly in its headline as a probationary officer fired after an OWI arrest. Its coverage frames the dismissal as swift, coming right on the heels of the traffic stop that led to Bonnell's arrest.
No Court Records Yet Available
According to the CBS Chicago report, court information for Bonnell was not available at the time of publication, leaving the case's next steps undetermined. No plea, hearing date, or attorney information has surfaced in either outlet's reporting.
Bonnell's tenure with the Porter County Sheriff's Office lasted less than a year before his arrest brought it to an abrupt end. Whether the firing took place Sunday or Monday, the outcome for the probationary officer was the same: his brief run in Porter County law enforcement is over.
