A 42-year-old Chicago woman called 911 on herself just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday while driving drunk on I-65, sounding so intoxicated that dispatchers struggled to make sense of the erratic information she gave them, according to Indiana State Police. The call set off a chain of events that ended with the woman, identified as Meisha Thomas, allegedly swerving across lanes, ignoring a trooper's lights and siren, and later trying to kiss the officer who arrested her.
Indiana State Police told CBS News that dispatchers used Thomas's call to track her location as she traveled southbound on I-65, picking her up near the Lowell exit in southern Lake County. As she continued south from Lake County into Jasper County, a trooper located her vehicle traveling between 30 and 50 mph in a posted 70 mph zone, according to whio.com.
Before the trooper could stop her, Thomas's car swerved across lanes, impeding traffic and forcing other drivers to brake or take evasive action, police said. The vehicle initially failed to stop for emergency lights and siren, with the report noting she eventually came to a stop in the left lane of the interstate. Investigators determined she had traveled approximately 36 miles in the wrong direction, per the same account.
Signs of Impairment and a Casino Run From Gary
Once stopped, the trooper reported slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, poor coordination and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. Thomas told the trooper she had left a casino in Gary and was heading home to Chicago, the report notes. Police said she was unable to safely complete a standardized field sobriety test and ultimately refused testing under Indiana's implied consent law, which holds that drivers have implicitly agreed to breath, blood or other chemical testing when an officer suspects impaired driving.
With Thomas refusing chemical testing, investigators obtained a search warrant and took a blood sample from her at a local hospital, according to the report. The outcome of that test was not included in the available police accounts.
Trooper Says Thomas Made Repeated Advances During Arrest
Police also described repeated inappropriate sexual comments and physical advances toward the trooper during the stop, including an attempt to kiss him while he was securing her in a seatbelt. The advances reportedly continued even after Thomas was told multiple times to stop, according to the report. fox32chicago.com reported that Thomas was taken to the Jasper County Jail following her arrest.
Thomas was charged with battery against a public safety official, a felony, along with three misdemeanors: operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and reckless driving. Indiana State Police have not said whether Thomas was given bail or when she is due in court, and details on her next court appearance had not been released as of the most recent reporting.
Not the First I-65 Impairment Case Through Jasper County
This is not the only recent case in which an Indiana State Police stop for a suspected impaired driver has played out along the same stretch of highway. In July, a pursuit that began in Lake County and continued southbound on I-65 into Jasper County ended after a trooper used a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, causing the vehicle to spin off the roadway and roll over in the median, according to WBIW. In that case, the driver also refused a certified chemical test and was transported for a blood draw under a signed search warrant, the station reported.
