MITCHELL — A Mitchell man is facing multiple criminal charges, including a Level 6 Felony for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) with a prior conviction, following a two-vehicle crash that occurred late Thursday afternoon.
The crash, which involved a failure to stop at an intersection, resulted in injury reports to a mother and her two juvenile children.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Cody Grogan of the Mitchell Police Department (MPD), officers responded at approximately 2:02 p.m. on December 11, 2025, to an accident with possible injuries at the intersection of 8th Street and West Frank Street.
Officers found a silver 2013 Ford Explorer with rear driver’s side damage parked in a yard, and a silver 2015 Chevrolet Equinox with front driver’s side damage stopped in the street.
The driver of the Explorer told police she was traveling north on 8th Street when the Equinox, driven by Joshua Pickett, 34, ran the stop sign on West Frank Street and struck her vehicle. She reported that she and her two young children, one of whom was sitting in the third row near the impact site, were likely injured.
Pickett, the sole occupant of the Equinox, told officers his foot slipped off the brake, causing him to run the stop sign and collide with the other vehicle. He also reported hitting his head on the steering wheel.
During questioning, Pickett admitted that he had taken his prescription of Suboxone approximately one hour before the accident. Suboxone is a medication used to treat opioid dependence that contains the narcotic analgesic buprenorphine.
Officer Grogan noted that Pickett had bloodshot eyes and his speech was intermittently delayed and slurred.
Given the crash, the admission of recent Suboxone use, and the signs of impairment, Officer Grogan contacted the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) for the area, Officer Jeremy Haluda of the Indiana University Bloomington Police Department.
MPD Officer Cody Blackwell conducted standardized field sobriety tests on Pickett, which he failed.
Crucially, Officer Grogan observed that Pickett’s pupils were “pinpoint in appearance and did not react to light.” DRE Haluda advised that this reaction was consistent with narcotic analgesic use and met the criteria for a full Drug Influence Evaluation.
Pickett was transported to IU Health Bedford, where a blood draw was completed, and Officer Haluda conducted the DIE. The evaluation concluded that Pickett was impaired by a narcotic analgesic. The full DRE report and blood draw results are pending.
Based on the evidence, Pickett was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangerment, and OWI with a prior conviction.
The 2013 Ford Explorer was towed from the scene, while the Chevrolet Equinox was secured on 8th Street.
Pickett was reportedly cooperative with law enforcement throughout the interaction.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
