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Late November crash at Redbird SRA leads to arrest for OVWI

A Linton man who overturned his vehicle on a steep grade near the top of Carbody Hill was not injured but he was arrested by a Conservation Officer who reported the man tested with a BAC of .178.

Steven Kent Dougherty

Steven Kent Dougherty, 53, Linton, was arrested by Indiana Conservation Officer Matt Landis on Saturday, November 28. Dougherty’s bond was set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed - he posted $400 and was released the next day, and is scheduled to be in court for an initial hearing tomorrow morning, Thursday, December 10.

Around 2:14 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, Officer Landis responded to a crash at the Redbird State Recreation Area in western Greene County where a vehicle had overturned and it was unknown whether anyone was injured.

The crash occurred in an area known as Carbody Hill. When Officer Landis arrived, he found the vehicle, a black 1990 Ford Ranger, overturned near the top of the hill. Bystanders told the officer that the driver was intoxicated.

Officer Landis walked to the top of the hill and found the driver, identified as Dougherty, who said he was not injured. He allegedly was unsteady, was slurring his speech and struggled to pronounce “Budweiser” when he admitted he’d had a couple.

Officer Landis reported it appeared Dougherty was attempting a turn down the hill when it overturned on a steep grade adjacent to the trail.

After Dougherty was checked out by ambulance personnel, he was asked to perform standard field sobriety testing on a flat asphalt surface. Officer Landis reported Dougherty failed the tests and was transported to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

Once at the jail, Dougherty submitted to a certified breath test which showed he had a blood alcohol content of .178.

Dougherty is facing charges of:

  • Operating a motor 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.