BARTHOLOMEW CO. — The assistant fire chief of the Elizabethtown Fire Department was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) over the weekend.
According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office, around 8:30 on Sunday, deputies were dispatched to the 12000 block of E Legal Tender Rd for a single-vehicle traffic incident.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered the vehicle involved was a pickup truck belonging to the Elizabethtown Volunteer Fire Department, which was overturned in a residence's driveway.
The driver, 67-year-old Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Nienaber of Elizabethtown, was trapped inside the vehicle. He was successfully removed by fellow fire department personnel.
Eyewitnesses indicated that Nienaber was driving the emergency vehicle with activated lights and sirens before it left the roadway and rolled onto its side. At the time, Nienaber was responding to a structure fire.
During the investigation, deputies detected signs of alcohol impairment. Following a thorough inquiry, Nienaber was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw and subsequently arrested for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated. He was processed at the Bartholomew County Jail and has since been released on a $2,500 bond.
The case has been referred to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office for further review.
