BEDFORD — A late-night traffic stop led to the arrest of a local man early in the morning of February 7, after he allegedly admitted to officers that he was too intoxicated to drive safely.
Alexander Chavez English, 34, was taken into custody by the Bedford Police Department on February 7, 2026, following a series of traffic observations and a roadside investigation.
The incident began around 2:00 a.m. when Officer Michael Bell observed a dark SUV traveling south on Lincoln Avenue. Officer Bell noted that the driver was leaning so far back behind the vehicle’s B-pillar that only a single steering arm was visible.
After briefly losing sight of the speeding vehicle, Officer Bell relocated it at a parking lot on L Street. When the SUV exited the lot, the driver failed to activate the vehicle’s headlights, prompting a traffic stop at 15th and L Streets
During the interaction, officers reported the smell of marijuana and observed that English had slurred speech and glassy eyes. While English initially denied having marijuana, he later admitted to smoking it earlier in the night.
The investigation took a candid turn during the administration of standardized field sobriety tests. According to a supplemental statement from Officer Haluda, English struggled with the tests and made several spontaneous admissions, including consuming Long Island iced teas and Modelo beers in bars in Bloomington, smoking marijuana with his passenger, and telling his passenger to be quiet because he “needed to focus on his driving” due to his impairment. He also stated he likely wouldn’t have passed the sobriety tests even if he were sober.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a metallic tray with marijuana in the center console. English was transported to IU Health Bedford, where blood samples were drawn for toxicology testing before he was booked into the Lawrence County Jail on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and OWI endangerment.
The passenger, who was the registered owner of the SUV, was released at the scene with the vehicle.
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.
