BEDFORD — A Mitchell woman was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) at a level significantly above the legal limit, along with OWI endangerment, after police responded to reports of a vehicle driving erratically on Mitchell Road.
Wendee L. Kaczorek, 48, of Mitchell, was taken into custody and remanded to the Lawrence County jail following her arrest on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Department (BPD) Officer J. Landon Jones, the investigation began at 7:31 p.m. when BPD dispatch was alerted by an off-duty Mitchell Police Officer, identified as Officer C. Grogan, who was following a blue Chevrolet Astro Gladiator van traveling north on Mitchell Road near 32nd Street.
Officer Grogan reported that the van was “driving all over the roadway” and believed the driver was under the influence. He later provided a statement that he observed the van sitting in the middle of the intersection of State Road 37 and US 50 West, facing north at a red light, before continuing to weave within its lane on Mitchell Road.
Officer Jones and Officer Bell located the van traveling north and initiated a pursuit on 16th Street near Q Street. Officer Jones observed the van swerving back and forth within its lane, nearly hitting the curb multiple times. He also noted the vehicle was traveling at 41 mph in a posted 30 mph zone.
Officer Jones initiated a traffic stop, and the van pulled into the Pizza Hut parking lot on 16th Street. Upon making contact with the driver, identified as Wendee Kaczorek via a Maryland driver’s license, Officer Jones immediately detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and noted her eyes were glassy.
Kaczorek denied consuming any alcohol but agreed to perform standardized field sobriety tests which she failed.
Kaczorek refused a preliminary breath test. Following the reading of Miranda and Indiana Implied Consent warnings, she submitted to a certified chemical test.
Kaczorek was transported to the Bedford Police Department where she provided a certified breath sample. She had a blood alcohol content of 0.174 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. This result is more than twice Indiana’s legal limit of 0.08 .and exceeds the threshold for a high-level OWI charge or O.15 or greater.
Kaczorek was detained on charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol level or 0.15 or greater and OWI endangerment.
Kaczorek’s vehicle was secured in the parking lot, and she was transported to the Lawrence County jail.
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.
