LAWRENCE COUNTY– A Bedford man is facing a public intoxication charge after authorities found him shirtless and behaving erratically on a county road in the early morning hours of June 18.
Casey W. Staggs, 38, was located by Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies walking in the roadway on Humpback Bridge Road near Henderson Creek Road, after multiple 911 calls reported a man swinging his arms and acting strangely in the area.
According to an affidavit filed by Officer Corey Housel, dispatchers first received a report around 7:30 a.m. about a grey Mazda sedan parked just south of the one-lane bridge on Humpback Bridge Road. The vehicle, which had a broken and taped-up driver’s side window, was found abandoned and partially on the roadway, posing a potential hazard to passing traffic.
While investigating the vehicle, officers were alerted to a second call reporting a shirtless man acting erratically north of State Road 446 and Henderson Creek Road, within sight of the bridge.
Soon after, a man matching the caller’s description approached Housel’s patrol vehicle. He was shirtless, appeared disoriented, and reportedly told the officer he had taken drugs and needed to go to detox. The man, later identified as Staggs, was seen talking to himself, pulling up grass in a repetitive manner, and displaying signs of intoxication and dehydration, according to the report.
Deputies recognized Staggs as someone known to struggle with substance abuse. He allegedly admitted to using methamphetamine after pulling over the car earlier that morning. Officers noted rapid speech, constant movement, and “tweaking” behavior consistent with stimulant use.
Due to concerns for his health and safety, medics were called to the scene, and Staggs voluntarily went with paramedics to the hospital for medical evaluation. The abandoned vehicle was later towed from the scene.
Staggs is charged with public intoxication by a controlled substance, a misdemeanor under Indiana law.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
