A Switz City man is facing numerous charges connected with allegedly driving with a BAC of .158. He allegedly admitted drinking a large margarita before driving, then some beer in his truck before skidding off a road into a ditch.  

Brian Robert Callihan, 39, Switz City, was arrested last Wednesday night, August 11, by Deputy Michael Coy of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy Coy responded to an accident around 6:16 p.m. last Wednesday where a white pickup truck with a recliner in the bed was off in a ditch and a tractor on the scene was blocking half of the road. The location was on County Road 800 West near CR 75 North.

Brian Callihan was the driver of the truck who told the deputy someone was going to get him out of the ditch. He allegedly told Deputy Coy that his brakes were bad and he skidded off the road. He also said he didn’t need an accident report.

Deputy Coy reported Callihan was slurring his speech and was difficult to understand at times, and he was stumbling as he walked. When he asked Callihan how much he had to drink, Callihan allegedly said a little bit.

Callihan later clarified that when he tried to stop at the stop sign, his brakes locked up and the truck skidded past the sign and through the intersection then into the ditch. He said he was going 30-40 mph and he intended to make a turn on his way to Linton from Bloomfield. He also admitted he had been drinking one large margarita at a restaurant in Bloomfield before driving. Still later, he allegedly admitted he’d been drinking a 24-ounce beer in his truck.

Deputy Coy reported Callihan failed field sobriety testing on the scene and was transported to the sheriff’s department where he failed again. A certified chemical breath test showed he had an alcohol level of .158. The legal limit is .08.

Callihan has a prior conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated – in 2017, and a conviction for driving while suspended – in May of 2021.

Callihan was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:56 p.m. His bond was set at $9,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He has since posted bond and been released.

When he appears in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing, he’s facing charges of:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor,

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person – with a prior within seven years, a Level 6 felony,

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

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated – with a prior within seven years, a Level 6 felony,

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

• Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more – with a prior conviction, a Level 6 felony,

• Driving while suspended – a knowing violation with a prior conviction within 10 years, a Class A misdemeanor and

• Possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.