A driver who was found asleep at the wheel of his SUV, with the motor running and in gear, was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a BAC of .214.

Charles Edward Parker, Jr., 58, Bloomington, Ind., was arrested by Officer Zachary Goad of the Linton Police Department early Sunday, December 12, following an incident that occurred late Saturday, December 11.

Around 11 p.m. that Saturday, a caller told Linton Dispatch about a suspicious vehicle - an SUV that had been parked in front of their house on East Roosevelt Street in Linton for over an hour.

When LPD Officers Zach Goad and Cayden Walker responded, they found a white 2010 Ford Escape with one occupant who was asleep at the wheel with the motor still running and in drive. The driver was later identified as Parker.

The officers tried to wake him. When he did wake up, he would not roll the window down or shut the vehicle off. After multiple requests, he did shut the vehicle off. The vehicle then rolled about ten feet because it had not been taken out of gear.

Officer Goad, the investigating officer, said when Parker got out of the vehicle, his balance was poor and he was assisted to the back of the vehicle. His speech was slurred and he struggled to find his driver’s license in his wallet. The officers detected the odor of alchol and asked if he’d been drinking. Parker allegedly said he’d had a couple of drinks at the Legion and was going home.

Parker allegedly failed or could not complete standard field sobriety testing on the scene then again at the police department where he agreed to take a certified chemical breath test. Officer Goad reported results showed he had an alcohol concentration of .214. The legal limit is .08.

Parker did not want to talk further to the officers and was transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 12:27 a.m. Sunday. His bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $400 and was released later the same day.

Parker is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing on January 6. He is facing charges of:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and

• Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more, a Class A misdemeanor.