With lights flashing and three deputies on the scene of a downed tree across a highway, a driver hit the brakes and squealed his tires to narrowly avoid crashing into the tree. When he opened his door, a Four Lokos can hit the roadway.

Tony Allen Harl, 47, was arrested by Deputy Michael Coy of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department during an incident that occurred late Saturday, August 14, but Harl was booked into the Greene County Jail early Sunday, August 15. Jail records show Harl with a home address in Jasonville but court records show he has a home address in Worthington.

Around 10:50 p.m. on Saturday, August 14, Deputy Coy, the investigating officer, was “standing by” in an area near the entrance to Lawrence Hollow and State Road 445 in eastern Greene County, along with GCSD Deputy Camron Frye and Deputy Michael Stanley, when they heard a loud crashing noise on SR 445 and they all left to see what happened.

The deputies headed west on SR 445 and came across a tree that was down across the road, blocking both lanes. Patrol vehicles were parked in the road with emergency lights on while they got out to assess the situation.

Deputy Coy said he started moving debris off the road when he saw traffic approaching the downed tree. He used his flashlight to warn oncoming traffic of the road hazard but one vehicle looked like it was not going to stop. Deputy Coy moved out of the way to avoid getting hit.

The driver of the white Chevrolet Trailblazer was later identified as Tony Harl. Just before crashing into the tree, tires were squealing as Harl abruptly stopped the Trailblazer.

When Deputy Coy got to the driver’s side door of the Trailblazer, Harl appeared to be intoxicated. When Harl was asked to get out of the vehicle, an empty can of Four Loko fell out onto the road when he opened the door. Harl allegedly said he’d had too much to drink and that he’d fail the sobriety tests. “Just fail me,” he said. Some tests were administered – he reportedly did fail, but others were not due to being on a hill in an unlighted area with a downed tree all around and safety concerns.

Harl agreed to take a chemical test but due to the tree in the road, Deputy Coy was not able to transport him until the road was cleared. A portable breath test on the scene showed Harl had a BAC of .173.

Once the road was cleared enough for Deputy Coy to get his patrol vehicle through, Harl was transported to the sheriff’s department where Harl allegedly failed standard field sobriety tests and took a certified breath test at 12:01 a.m. with a result of .160. The legal limit is .08.

Harl’s bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He has since posted $400 and been released.

Harl is facing charges of:

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 .15 or more, a Class A misdemeanor.

His initial hearing is set for next Monday, August 30.