BEDFORD — A 21-year-old Bedford man with a prior drunk driving conviction faces multiple operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) charges after allegedly driving impaired with a minor in his vehicle early Friday morning, according to court documents filed by the Bedford Police Department.
Aiden Ping was arrested on July 17 and charged with OWI with a prior conviction, OWI with a passenger under 18, and OWI endangerment.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Sarah Haluda, the incident unfolded at approximately 4:50 a.m. while officers were handling a separate call regarding an intoxicated male near Bellback Road and 5th Street.
While addressing that call, Officers Haluda and Bell observed a red Buick SUV rapidly pull into the parking lot of the nearby Super 8 Motel. The SUV’s rate of speed, sharp turn, and jerky movements immediately drew the attention of both officers.
Approximately 10 minutes later, the same red Buick SUV slowly exited the motel lot and pulled onto the grass near the parked police cruisers. Officers identified the driver as Ping, who was known to them from prior interactions.
Ping told officers he recognized the man being arrested on the initial call and explained that he was giving two females—one of whom was a minor—a ride home from the same hotel room where the intoxicated man had been staying. Suspecting possible impairment, Officer Bell requested that Officer Haluda speak with Ping and his passengers.
When questioned about alcohol consumption, Ping initially denied drinking and agreed to a preliminary breath test, which registered a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of .074. Officer Haluda noted that Ping had glassy eyes and a distinct odor of alcohol on his breath. When asked about the discrepancy, Ping claimed he was “not drunk” and was not actively drinking at that moment.
Officer Haluda administered standardized field sobriety tests during which Ping showed significant signs of impairment.
Ping consented to a certified breath test under Indiana Implied Consent. He was transported to the Bedford Police Department, where a certified Intox ER/IR-II test administered at 5:27 a.m. recorded a sample of .068 grams per 210 liters of breath.
While at the station, Ping admitted he had been drinking both before arriving at the motel and inside the room before offering the females a ride. He also admitted that he was the driver who had made the erratic turn into the parking lot minutes earlier, stating he had only stopped to check on his friend being arrested.
An inventory search of Ping’s vehicle yielded several open liquor bottles on the front passenger floorboard.
A criminal history check revealed a 2023 conviction for OWI out of Lawrence County. Ping acknowledged the previous conviction to officers, remarking that his past case involved marijuana—which he claimed he no longer used—and that he had since turned to “hitting the bottle”.
Ping was transported to the Lawrence County Jail for booking.
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.
