BEDFORD — A 25-year-old Greene County man faces a laundry list of felony and misdemeanor charges after a routine traffic hazard dispatch erupted into a violent struggle involving roadside resistance and the spitting on police officers at the hospital.
Joel D. Moreno, of Solsberry, was arrested on the night of June 17, 2026, by the Lawrence County Police Department. Court records indicate Moreno has been hit with multiple preliminary counts, including battery on a public safety official, a Level 6 felony, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, with an ACE of .15% or higher, public intoxication, resisting law enforcement, and disorderly conduct.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Thomas Porter, the incident began around 9:30 p.m. when county police were dispatched to a reported traffic hazard at the intersection of State Road 37 and State Road 54.
Upon arrival, Officer Porter met with assisting Officer Kenton Carter, who had already engaged with Moreno. Officer Carter noted that Moreno was acting highly suspicious, completely refused to explain why his vehicle was causing a hazard, and bluntly told the officer, “Just take me to jail.”
When Moreno stepped out of his vehicle, officers noted he had to lean on the car to remain standing, was highly unsteady on his feet, spoke with slurred speech, and had red, glossy eyes. Officer Porter conducted a horizontal gaze nystagmus roadside test, recording a maximum of six out of six clues indicating acute alcohol impairment.
When Officer Porter read Moreno the Indiana Implied Consent warning for a chemical test, Moreno refused. However, while later using his phone to call his brother, Moreno blew his own cover. Officers overheard him tell his brother, “They are taking me to jail because I’m drunk driving”, an admission he made before any officer had explicitly told him he was under arrest.
Due to Moreno’s rapidly escalating, aggressive behavior, police halted further roadside coordination and attempted to place him in handcuffs. Moreno began pulling away, physically resisting both Officer Porter and Officer Carter. Once secured, he then attempted to deliberately smash his own head against the police patrol vehicles.
Moreno was transported to IU Health Bedford Hospital for mandatory medical clearance. The combative behavior worsened upon arrival, forcing four separate law enforcement officers to physically hoist and carry Moreno into the Emergency Department.
While Officer Porter stepped away to his patrol unit to apply for a blood draw search warrant, Moreno’s behavior turned assaultive. Hospital staff and officers were forced to place a protective spit hood over Moreno’s head after he began spitting. Officer Porter later learned that Lawrence County Sergeant Whitney Daugherty and IU Health Police Officer James Harrington were both spat on while Moreno was undergoing medical clearance.
Officer Porter successfully obtained a signed search warrant from a judge, and a blood sample was drawn by the hospital’s charge nurse to determine Moreno’s exact blood-alcohol concentration. Throughout the process, Moreno continually screamed, ignored lawful commands to lower his voice, and disrupted hospital operations, prompting additional disorderly conduct charges.
Following his medical clearance, Moreno was transported to the Lawrence County Security Center and remanded to jail staff.
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.
