BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested on Thursday, December 8th after a Bedford Police officer on routine patrols spotted a white Pontiac G6 parked at the gas pumps at the Circle K gas station at 16th and O streets.
The officers recognized the driver as 35-year-old Jeffrey Novak who was a habitual traffic offender.
The officer pulled into an alley behind the gas station and observed Novak get in the vehicle and drive it into the alley. Novak then pulled back into the gas station parking lot and turned the lights off.
The officers approached the vehicle and found Novak and a female passenger in the back seat
Novak was asked to exit the vehicle and as the officer went to place him in handcuffs, Novak pulled away from the officer and attempted to flee. The officer had to brace Novak against the rear of the vehicle to subdue him but he continued to attempt to pull away from the officer.
The officer said Novak was intoxicated. Novak later failed field sobriety tests.
The woman in the vehicle told officers Novak had picked her up at her house on 17th Street and taken her to the gas station, but as they were pulling out of the station they noticed the police officer and turned around and parked behind the gas station. That is when Novak got into the back seat.
Video footage at the station showed Novak drive up to the gas pumps and get out of the driver’s seat.
Novak was transported to IU Health Hospital for a blood draw. Those results are pending.
The female passenger was released from the scene and the vehicle was towed by Bland’s Wrecker Service.
During an inventory of the vehicle, police found an empty 99 shooter bottle and a partially empty bottle of Dark Eyes vodka.
Novak was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction, habitual traffic offender, and resisting arrest by force.
