OOLITIC — What began as a routine traffic stop for an inoperable headlight late Thursday night resulted in a Bloomington man being hauled to the Lawrence County Jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after a failed attempt to deceive a state trooper.
Shamole D. Davis, 28, was arrested on February 12th after a tense interaction in the parking lot of the Oolitic Dollar General.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Trooper Mackenzi Alexander of the Indiana State Police, the encounter began around 11:30 p.m. on State Road 37. Trooper Alexander initiated a stop on a silver 2014 BMW after noticing the driver’s side headlight was out.
The driver, who did not have a physical license on him, initially identified himself as “Dominic R. Davis” with a birthdate in 1994. Suspicion arose immediately when the Trooper asked the driver his age. The driver reportedly paused before answering “34”—a math error, as someone born in 1994 would actually be 31 years old.
The deception allegedly deepened as the Trooper attempted to verify the driver’s identity. After records checks in Indiana and Arizona came back empty, the driver suggested the license might be from Hawaii.
While the Trooper worked with dispatchers to uncover the man’s true identity, the scene was briefly interrupted when a second vehicle arrived. A passenger from that car repeatedly approached the Trooper, attempting to take possession of the BMW before the investigation was complete.
After a Lawrence County Deputy arrived to assist with the second vehicle, Trooper Alexander confronted the driver about the inconsistencies. At that point, the driver reportedly admitted he had given his brother’s name because he knew his own license was suspended.
The driver was then correctly identified as Shamole Davis. Records confirmed his driving status was suspended with a prior conviction
Trooper Alexander noted in the report that had Davis been truthful from the start, he likely would have received a summons and a warning. Instead, he was handcuffed and transported to jail on the following preliminary charges driving while his driver’s license was suspended, identity deception, obstruction of justice, giving false identity statements and failure to identify
Davis was also issued a formal warning for the inoperable headlight.
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.
