Lucas
SEYMOUR — Rep. Jim Lucas, who represents Indiana’s District 69, was arrested early Wednesday morning by the Indiana State Police on multiple preliminary charges after a property-damage accident involving his vehicle near Seymour.
The 58-year-old Seymour Republican faces charges of operating while intoxicated-endangerment, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, according to the Jackson County Jail’s website.
The arrest of Lucas occurred shortly after he crashed his vehicle around midnight near State Road 11 and Interstate 65 north of Seymour, Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said.
Wheeles, public information officer for the Indiana State Police Versailles Post, said Lucas left the scene of the crash initially, but Seymour police located his vehicle a short time later at a different location off of State Road 11 near Rockford and Lucas was found near the vehicle on foot. A state trooper then arrested Lucas after an investigation.
Wheeles said toxicology results are pending in the case.
Lucas was booked into the jail in Brownstown at 3:48 a.m. Wednesday and was released at 7:53 a.m. after posting $705 bond.
House District 69 includes portions of Bartholomew, Jackson, Washington and Scott counties.
Lucas was first elected in 2012 and previously served on the Seymour City Council.
The legislator is a prominent supporter of loosening state gun laws and marijuana legalization. He has faced controversy several times for what critics have described as racist social media posts, including in 2020 when he posted a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!”
Lucas’ legislative office and a spokeswoman for House Speaker Todd Huston didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about his arrest.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
