9:42 a.m. update
By Casey Smith | Indiana Capital Chronicle
For The Republic
Republican state Rep. Jim Lucas was arrested and held in the Jackson County Jail Wednesday morning after police said he drove while intoxicated and left the scene of a crash.
Lucas crashed his vehicle on Interstate 65, just north of Seymour, around midnight, an Indiana State Police spokesperson told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Police said he left the scene in the crashed vehicle.
Seymour police officers found Lucas’ vehicle “a short time later at a different location,” according to ISP. Lucas was then located nearby and arrested by a trooper from the state police Versailles Post.
The 58-year-old was booked into the Jackson County Jail at 3:46 a.m. on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.
According to jail records, Lucas remained in the jail as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. Bond was set at $705.
State police declined to provide a detailed police report, per ISP policy. The Chronicle has reached out to Lucas’ office for comment.
Lucas represents District 69 in Indiana which covers portions of Jackson, Bartholomew, Scott and Washington counties. Jackson County is roughly 70 miles south of downtown Indianapolis.
Lucas was first elected in 2012 and most recently championed House Bill 1177 during the 2023 legislative session. The measure creates a state-funded gun training program for school staff.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle covers state government and the state legislature. For more, visit indianacapitalchronicle.com.
ORIGINAL STORY
By The Seymour Tribune
SEYMOUR — State District 69 Rep. James “Jim” Lucas was arrested early Wednesday morning by the Indiana State Police for leaving the scene of a property damage crash.
The 58-year-old Seymour Republican also faces charges of operating while intoxicated-endangerment and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the Jackson County Jail’s website.
He was booked into the jail in Brownstown at 3:48 a.m. Wednesday and being held on $705 bond, according to jail records.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
