A local man was arrested for driving while intoxicated after he was reportedly spotted passed out behind the steering wheel of a vehicle at a Columbus intersection on Tuesday night.
Columbus police were sent to Second and Brown Streets at 9 p.m. Tuesday about the man, who was allegedly passed out in the driver’s seat of his truck for at least 10 minutes.
CPD officers arrived and found the unresponsive man, who was later identified as Matthew Scott Barker, 26, of Columbus, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
While later speaking with Barker, the officers noted that he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and had difficulty maintaining his balance, Harris said.
Barker refused to submit to a chemical test and officers applied for and later received a search warrant for a blood draw at Columbus Regional Hospital, Harris said.
Barker was placed under arrest and transported to the Bartholomew County Jail on a preliminary charge of operating while intoxicated — endangerment.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
