BEDFORD — A Bloomington man faces multiple operating a vehicle while intoxicated charges in Lawrence County after a traffic stop for excessive speeding uncovered a hidden open container and a failed breath test.
Juan Morales Hernandez, 33, was arrested on the night of Thursday, July 2, 2026. He has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangerment.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Officer Kaden Flynn, the incident began at approximately 9:26 p.m. Officer Flynn was running stationary radar at the split of Mitchell Road and State Road 37 North when he clocked a bronze Honda CR-V traveling northbound at 76 miles per hour.
Officer Flynn initiated a traffic stop, catching up to the vehicle near 39th Street and activating his emergency lights. The vehicle pulled over near 35th Street.
As Officer Flynn approached the CR-V, he observed an aluminum can sitting in the center console cup holder. The driver identified himself as Morales Hernandez and presented an international driver’s license translation listing a Bloomington address. Officer Flynn noted that Morales Hernandez was heavily sweating and appeared impatient.
While Officer Flynn went back to his marked patrol vehicle to run the driver’s information, Bedford Police Department Officer Taylor Daugherty arrived on the scene to assist. When Officer Flynn returned to the Honda to ask follow-up questions, he noticed the aluminum can had been removed from the center console. A quick check of the passenger side failed to locate where the can had been hidden.
During the interaction, Officer Daugherty detected the distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Morales Hernandez. When questioned about alcohol consumption, Morales Hernandez denied drinking at first but then stated that he “had beer.”
Morales Hernandez consented to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) and was escorted to the rear of his vehicle, where Officer Daugherty administered the roadside evaluations. Following the physical tests, Morales Hernandez provided a sample on a portable breath test (PBT), which registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.107%.
Officer Flynn read Morales Hernandez his Miranda rights and the Indiana Implied Consent Warning. Morales Hernandez agreed to submit to a certified chemical breath test and was placed in handcuffs. Officer Kyle Long then transported him to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.
Because there was no licensed driver available to claim the Honda CR-V, Jackson’s Heavy Haul was called to tow the vehicle from the scene. Before the vehicle was removed, Officer Flynn conducted a standard inventory search. During the search, he located a black plastic bag in the rear of the vehicle containing four unopened beer cans. The officer noted that the cans still had condensation on the exterior, indicating they had recently been kept cold.
At the sheriff’s department, Morales Hernandez underwent the certified chemical breath test, which returned a final result of 0.110% blood-alcohol concentration—well above Indiana’s legal driving limit of 0.08%.
Morales Hernandez was subsequently booked into the Lawrence County Jail without further incident. Officers noted that body-worn camera footage from both responding units has been logged as evidence.
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.
