A Linton man who was convicted of OVWI a couple of years ago was allowed to serve his time on home detention. Now he’s facing new OVWI charges after driving his red Lincoln into a ditch east of Linton last Friday night.

John K. Wheeler, 67, Linton, was arrested by Deputy William C. Walker of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Wheeler was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1 a.m. last Saturday, July 17, following an incident late Friday, July 16.

Deputy Walker was dispatched around 10 p.m. last Friday night, along with GCSD Sgt. Jordan Allor, to a crash between the golf course and the Elks Lodge on State Road 54 east of Linton where a vehicle was in the ditch.

A couple of Linton police officers were first on the scene but did not locate anyone in or around the vehicle or on the golf course.

When the deputies arrived, they found a red 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII stuck in a ditch with nobody around the vehicle. The vehicle was not damaged but a tow truck was called to pull the car out of the ditch.

Two men standing outside the front door of the Elks said they did not witness the accident but one of them said Wheeler drove a red Lincoln and advised Wheeler likely ran to the house in the parking lot of the golf course.

When the two deputies located Wheeler at the house and asked him about the accident, Wheeler allegedly said it really wasn’t an accident, he had just missed his turn.

According to Deputy Walker, Wheeler later admitted he had about four beers between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. then left the Moose and was on his way to drop another man off at his home. Wheeler showed signs of impairment but sobriety tests were not completed at that time due to weather conditions so he was transported to the sheriff’s department.

Deputy Walker reported Wheeler failed standard field sobriety testing but he consented to take a chemical test. Results showed Wheeler had a BAC of .179. The legal limit is .08.

Wheeler was arrested and booked in with bond set at $8,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $800 and was released later the same day.

Criminal charges were filed against Wheeler earlier today, including:

Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a prior conviction within seven years, a Level 6 felony,
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor,
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction within seven years, a Level 6 felony,
Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more, a Class A misdemeanor, and
Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more with a prior conviction, a Level 6 felony.

Wheeler was involved in another earlier incident and in April of 2019, convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor. He was sentenced to one year but 305 days were suspended and he was allowed to serve the remaining time on home detention.

To find a previous story on GreeneStreets involving Wheeler, click on the Tag “John Wheeler” below this story.