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Last updated on Thursday, July 24, 2014
(UNDATED) - Former Indianapolis Police Officer David Bisard has appealed his conviction for a drunk driving wreck that killed a motorcyclist while Bisard was on duty.
The appeal was filed by the Marion County Public Defenders Office and argues that Bisard was denied an impartial jury and due process. A member of the jury was removed by a judge in Allen County, where Bisard's trial was held due to pre-trial publicity, after the juror admitted to researching Bisard's case on the internet.
Bisard was convicted of nine felonies in connection with the August 2010 crash in which Bisard's police car slammed into a group of motorcyclists on the Northeastside of Indianapolis. 30-year-old Eric Wells was killed, and two other bikers were injured. Blood tests showed that Bisard had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, though Bisard continues to say he was not drunk when the wreck occurred. Bisard was sentenced to 16 years in prison in November 2013.
The public defender's office involvement in the case is new. Before and during his trial, Bisard was represented by John Kautzman, and his defense was funded by the Fraternal Order of Police Local 86. The FOP pulled its support for Bisard after he was charged with another DUI when he wrecked his pickup truck in Lawrence in April 2013. The FOP initially paid for the defense because Bisard was suspended but still on the police force until his felony convictions.
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