A 44-year-old Linton man was arrested in the early morning hours of Jan. 8 after crashing his truck into a residence while under the influence of alcohol.

Greene County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Camron Frye was called to the scene of a property damage accident at approximately 3:08 a.m. in which a Ford F-150 had struck a home and was on the residence’s porch. Upon arrival at the scene on County Road 250 North in Linton, Frye observed damage to the concrete front porch, rail, columns, and storm door. The yard leading to the porch had tire tracks through it and an Ellis Water Company meter access had been run over, exposing the underground meter. The property owner told Frye he was asleep when he heard a loud boom and went outside to investigate. He said he opened the door to find the truck and the damage.

When arriving at the scene, the driver – later identified as Robert Stewart Cox – was not present. The owner of the residence said he was his neighbor and he told him to go home. He did not tell Cox that law enforcement had been contacted but did tell him he would need a police report. The property owner; however, said it was evident he called the police as he was on the phone with dispatch while Cox was still on the scene. He said he was OK with Cox leaving because he knew where he was going. The property owner noted he could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Cox’s breath.

Jasonville Police Department Officer Dustin Cain and Linton Police Officer Janzen Franklin went to locate Cox while Frye located several papers and prescription bottles in the vehicle bearing Cox’s name. Frye also observed a beer bottle in the passenger side floorboard as well as several alcohol containers on the ground outside the passenger door of the truck.

When Officers Cain and Franklin transported Cox back to the scene, he initially denied knowing anything about the truck; however, later said it was “worth a shot” and said he knew about the accident. Cox told the officers he had been out with some friends bowling and had consumed some alcoholic beverages at a local establishment. Cox said he ran off the road because he was not paying attention.

He submitted to a standardized field sobriety test at the scene, which he failed. He was transported to the Linton Police Department at which time the test was repeated. He again failed the standardized field sobriety test. A certified chemical test was performed which showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.106.

He’s being charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A Misdemeanor, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C Misdemeanor, and operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to at least .08 but less than .15, a Class C Misdemeanor. He was transported to Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $4,000 surety with 10 percent allowed. He was released later the same day after posting $400.

He is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court on Jan. 23 for an initial hearing.