10:30 A.M. UPDATE
Copyright, The Republic, Columbus
JACKSON COUNTY — Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas had THC – the active ingredient in marijuana – in his system after a drunken-driving crash from which he fled, an Indiana State Police lab test confirmed.
Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, has been an outspoken advocate for marijuana legalization in Indiana and in the past has publicized his use of marijuana obtained in states where it is legal.
Contacted Thursday for comment about the toxicology report, Lucas declined to comment but criticized reporting on his criminal case, for which he remains on probation. “You embellish … you take things out of context,” he said. “Run with that. Have a good day.”
Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, has insisted he will not resign as a lawmaker after he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his May 31 crash into guardrails on Interstate 65 at the State Road 11 interchange, after which he fled the scene, drove his severely damaged truck three miles and was found walking before his arrest by Seymour police and Indiana State Police.
After Lucas failed field sobriety tests administered by an Indiana State Police trooper, his blood alcohol content on a breath test measured .097, according to the probable cause affidavit. State police then took him to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, where his blood was drawn for a toxicology analysis.
On June 12, before the toxicology report on his blood draw had been analyzed, Lucas pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and other terms in Jackson Superior Court.
Lucas’ blood sample analyzed on June 22 showed a presence of “Delta-9 Carboxy THC (THC-COOH) 14 ± 2 ng/mL”, according to a report filed June 27.
“The presence of (Delta)-9-THC in blood at levels above 1 ng/mL is generally an indication of recent cannabis consumption for occasional users,” according to a University of Washington publication on marijuana impaired driving.
ORIGINAL STORY
copyright, The Republic, Columbus
JACKSON COUNTY — A toxicology report and drug analysis from a blood test administered to Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, after he wrecked his truck in Jackson County on May 31 showed the presence of THC, the the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.
The report is from the Indiana State Department of Toxicology and was prepared at the request of the Indiana State Police and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office.
Lucas, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident, also pleaded guilty to a prior drunken driving charge in the 1980s, The Republic has confirmed. However, judgment was withheld in that case, and the record does not appear in law enforcement databases, sources said.
Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, has insisted he will not resign after he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his May 31 crash into guardrails on Interstate 65 at the State Road 11 interchange, after which he fled the scene, drove his severely damaged truck three miles and was found walking before his arrest by Seymour police. On June 12, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and other terms in Jackson Superior Court.
“This is a standard plea agreement for a first-time operating while intoxicated case, and the defendant is also pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and agreeing to pay restitution for all property damage he caused,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey A. Chalfant told the court during Lucas’ sentencing earlier this month.
Lucas, whose district includes portions of Jackson, Bartholomew, Scott and Washington counties, pleaded guilty earlier this month to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of an accident, a Class B misdemeanor, filed in the May 31 case.
The plea agreement came the same day that Chalfant’s office filed the charges against Lucas from the May 31 incidents, with the matter going from charges being filed to sentencing in fewer than eight hours.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Lucas received a 60-day suspended jail sentence and one year of probation as well as a 180-day suspended jail sentence and one year of probation. Lucas’ driver’s license also was suspended for 60 days, with the exception of being permitted to drive only for the purposes of business in the counties where he has customers between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays. Lucas also will pay an estimated $3,929.62 in restitution and other fees and submit to an alcohol and drug abuse program for evaluation.
Lucas also may not possess or drink alcohol, and he may not possess any firearms or deadly weapons during his probationary period.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
