BEDFORD — A Bedford man was arrested on multiple alcohol-related operating while intoxicated charges Thursday evening after crashing his vehicle into an embankment and recording a certified blood alcohol content nearly twice the legal driving limit.
James Jerrod Langley, 46, is facing four separate misdemeanor counts filed in Lawrence County court, including operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or greater, OWI endangerment, OWI, and public intoxication.
The arrest followed a single-vehicle accident and a series of failed field sobriety tests documented by the Lawrence County Police Department.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Kenton Carter, emergency dispatchers received a call regarding a personal injury crash in the area in the 2000 block of Sieboldt Quarry Road. A third-party caller informed dispatchers that a male driver was actively trying to push a vehicle out of a ditch. The caller noted that the man was stumbling significantly and appeared highly intoxicated.
When Officer Carter arrived at the scene, he located the driver, identified as Langley. The responding officer immediately noted that Langley’s speech was slow and heavily slurred. Personnel from IU Health EMS arrived on the scene shortly after to evaluate the driver.
Before EMS personnel began their medical assessment, Officer Carter asked Langley if he had any significant medical history. Langley reportedly responded that he had been struggling with his sobriety but had managed to remain sober for approximately five years prior to the incident.
During the interaction, Officer Carter observed that Langley was extremely lethargic, moved very slowly, and struggled to maintain his balance. At one point, Langley completely lost his footing and fell backward into the driver’s seat of his vehicle.
While waiting for EMS to clear him, and when asked if he had consumed any alcohol, Langley began an unsolicited attempt to perform a one-legged stand while bracing himself against his car. He was unable to hold his balance. An EMS provider later informed the officer that Langley admitted to drinking at least one alcoholic beverage earlier in the day.
Once EMS medically cleared Langley, Officer Carter asked him to submit to a battery of standardized field sobriety tests. Langley agreed, noting that while he had sustained a head injury a long time ago and suffered from work-related back problems, he did not believe they would hinder his performance. Officer Carter even permitted Langley to change into a pair of sneakers to ensure fair testing conditions. He failed those tests.
Following the roadside evaluations, Langley consented to a preliminary breath test, which registered a positive reading of 0.173.
Officer Carter read Langley his Miranda warnings and the Indiana Implied Consent law verbatim. Langley acknowledged his rights and agreed to a secondary, certified chemical test.
Following a strict, continuous 15-minute observation period conducted by Officer Martin to ensure test integrity, Officer Landon Jones of the Bedford Police Department administered a certified breath test. At 8:35 p.m., the certified machine recorded Langley’s official blood alcohol concentration at 0.152, well over the state’s stringent .15 threshold for enhanced Class A misdemeanor charges.
Langley was placed under arrest on-site and 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.
