A Odon man was arrested early July 18 after an Indiana State Police trooper allegedly observed him speeding through a construction zone on Interstate 69 before failing to stop at the end of an exit ramp.

Ernest W. Arthur, 64, is charged with Class A misdemeanor operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person and Class C misdemeanor operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

According to a supplemental probable cause affidavit, Trooper Andrew Weeks was monitoring traffic near mile marker 88 on Interstate 69 in Greene County at approximately 2:25 a.m. when he observed a 2002 Lexus traveling 78 mph in a posted 60 mph construction zone.

Court documents state the vehicle exited the interstate at Exit 87 and failed to come to a complete stop at the stop sign before turning south onto U.S. Highway 231. Trooper Weeks then initiated a traffic stop.

During the stop, investigators reported Arthur had bloodshot eyes and slow manual dexterity. When asked if he had consumed alcohol, Arthur told the trooper he had been eating with friends and had consumed alcohol about an hour earlier, according to the affidavit.

Arthur told the trooper he is legally blind in his right eye before participating in standardized field sobriety tests. The affidavit states the trooper observed clues of impairment during the tests, including indicators on the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn and one-leg stand evaluations.

According to court records, Arthur consented to a portable breath test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.146%. Before viewing the result, Arthur reportedly told the trooper he believed the reading would be "too high."

After being advised of Indiana's implied consent law, Arthur agreed to provide a certified chemical test. He was transported to Greene County General Hospital, where a blood sample was obtained before he was booked into the Greene County Jail.

While being transported, Arthur allegedly told the trooper he had consumed two shots of alcohol earlier in the evening, one at the Crazy Horse and one at the Elks, but said he could not remember what type of drinks they were.

An arrest is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.