BEDFORD — An Oolitic woman who claims to be a city employee was arrested in the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 17, 2026, after driving the wrong way down a Bedford street and blowing nearly twice the legal BAC limit, according to police records.
Tara Brooke, 43, of 414 Lafayette Avenue, was arrested on-site following a traffic stop. She is facing a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, an infraction that was elevated to a Class A misdemeanor under Indiana law due to endangering others.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Lawrence County Sheriff’s Patrol Deputy Austin McKinley, the incident unfolded around 2:18 a.m. While patrolling southbound on State Road 37 in a marked squad car, Deputy McKinley observed a black 2014 Jeep Cherokee traveling ahead of him in the right lane.
The deputy noted the vehicle crossed over the outer fog line twice and drifted across the center line once before signaling and pulling directly in front of his police cruiser.
As Deputy McKinley followed, the Jeep began showing increasingly erratic behavior:
- The vehicle slowed down to a near-complete stop at a green traffic light at the intersection of State Road 37 and 5th Street before accelerating again.
- The driver merged into the left-turn lane at John Williams Boulevard but brought the vehicle to a complete stop inside the middle of the intersection to wait for the red light to cycle.
- Once the turn arrow turned green, the Jeep turned left directly into the oncoming traffic lanes of John Williams Boulevard.
Deputy McKinley immediately activated his emergency lights. The driver initially failed to notice the red and blue lights, prompting the deputy to hit his sirens. The Jeep then slowed down in the median, took off slowly across the roadway, hit the curb with its front passenger-side tire, and finally came to a stop just before Becky Skillman Way.
Deputy McKinley approached the driver, who was identified by her Indiana operator’s license as Tara Brooke. The deputy immediately noted that Brooke spoke with slurred, slowed speech and had noticeably glassy eyes. When asked where she was coming from and where she worked, Brooke reportedly stated she was coming from her job “in Bloomington” and that she worked “for the city.”
Recognizing potential impairment, Deputy McKinley called for backup from Deputy C. Housel, a certified Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). Upon speaking with Brooke through the window, Deputy Housel confirmed that he smelled alcohol radiating from the vehicle and noted that Brooke appeared to have to heavily process and think before responding to simple questions.
Brooke was ordered to step out of her Jeep to undergo standardized field sobriety testing, which she failed.
Following the failed physical tests, Deputy McKinley read Brooke the Indiana Implied Consent warning. Brooke agreed to a chemical test and was placed in double-locked handcuffs.
At 2:59 a.m., following a mandatory 15-minute observation period at the Lawrence County Jail, a certified breath test administrator recorded Brooke’s blood alcohol content at .146%—well above Indiana’s legal driving limit of .08%. She was processed and officially released into the custody of the Lawrence County Jail intake 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.
