JASPER COUNTY, Indiana — An impaired driver who called 911 on herself was arrested early Sunday morning.
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Around 1:36 a.m., Indiana State Police Dispatch recieved a 911 call from a woman later identfied as 42-year-old Meisha Thomas of Chicago, Illinois, who sounded highly intoxicated and provided erratic information to dispatchers.
Dispatchers were able to track the caller’s location as she traveled southbound on Interstate 65 near the 240-mile marker near the Lowell exit in southern Lake County, Indiana.
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An Indiana State Police Trooper responded to the area and located a vehicle traveling between 30-50 mph in a posted 70 mph zone after she had left Lake County and entered Jasper County on I-65.
The trooper observed the vehicle swerving across lanes, impeding traffic, and causing other motorists to brake and take evasive action.
The vehicle initially failed to stop for emergency lights and siren; the driver eventually came to a stop in the left lane of the interstate,
The trooper made contact with the driver, identfied as Thomas, and observed multiple signs of impairment, including slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, poor coordination, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.
Thomas told the trooper she had left the casino in Gary and was traveling home to Chicago. Investigators determined she had traveled approximately 36 miles in the wrong direction.
Due to her level of impairment, Thomas was unable to safely complete a standardized field sobriety test, and last refused Indiana’s implied consent law.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for a blood draw, and a sample was collected at a local hospital.
Throughout the encounter, Thomas made repeated inappropriate sexual comments and physical advances toward the arresting trooper, including attempting to kiss him while he was securing her in a seatbelt.
She continued to make kissing gestures, sounds, and suggestive remarks despite being instructed to stop multiple times.
As a result of one of the incidents, she was additionally charged with battery against a public safety official.
Thomas was transported to the Jasper County Jail and is preliminarily charged with the following offenses:
- Battery Against a Public Safety Official Engaged in Official Duty (Level 6 Felony)
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (Class C Misdemeanor)
- Reckless Driving (Class C Misdemeanor)
The incidnet remains under investigation by the Indiana State Police.
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