LAWRENCE — Marion County prosecutors filed their first criminal charge Thursday for failure to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order.
Prosecutors charged Shayne King on April 2 with failure to comply with an emergency travel watch or warning, a class B misdemeanor, following his drunk driving arrest by Lawrence Police on March 31.
At 9:35 pm on March 31, Lawrence Police officers were dispatched to a single vehicle rollover crash with possible entrapment in the area of 6200 Oaklandon Road.
King told police he missed the curb before crashing, and police noted his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol, court records show. During the arrest, King became combative and verbally abuse toward officers and bit one of them, according to court documents.
He was provided a urinal jug and threw it across the room three times, prosecutors said.
“Shayne King did not state that he was traveling for any essential means while he was operating while intoxicated nor was he traveling to/from work,” read the charging documents. “Officers did not locate any food or grocery items inside the vehicle during inventory. Shayne King’s behavior and actions resulted in several officers and medical staff having to come in close contact with Shayne King unnecessarily during the incident at a time when social distancing was recommended.”
Additionally, King’s behavior in the hospital unnecessarily increased the workload of already very busy medical personnel, prosecutors said.
King is charged with OWI, OWI with an ACE of .15 or more, OWI while endangering a person, resisting law enforcement, and failure to comply with an emergency travel watch or warning by engaging in non-essential travel.
No attorney is listed for King in court records and an initial hearing is scheduled for May 7.
Indiana code states during a “watch” local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.
Call 6 Investigates requested data from Indiana State Police on enforcement of the stay at home order. Between March 25th and April 1st, Indiana State Troopers have issued 21 written citations (tickets) for violation of the stay at home order, said ISP Sgt. John Perrine.
In each case, these tickets were in addition to other alleged criminal offenses, according to Perrine.
The final authority to move forward with the official filing of charges rests with the respective prosecutor of venue in each of these instances, Perrine said.
Zach Osowski, spokesperson for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, told Call 6 Investigates they’re aware of at least 9 criminal charges filed against individuals throughout the state for disobeying the disaster emergency order.
