SEYMOUR, Ind. – Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas was arrested and held in the Jackson County Jail early Wednesday morning after police said he drove while intoxicated and left the scene of an accident.
Lucas crashed his car near Interstate 65 and State Road 11, just north of Seymour, a little after midnight, an Indiana State Police (ISP) spokesperson told Local News Digital news partner, the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Police said he left the scene in the wrecked vehicle.
Seymour police officers found the lawmaker’s car “a short time later at a different location,” according to ISP. Lucas was then located nearby and arrested by a trooper from the state police Versailles Post.
The 58-year-old was booked into the Jackson County Jail at 3:46 a.m. on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.
According to jail records, Lucas remained in jail as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. The bond was set at $705.
State police declined to provide a detailed police report, per ISP policy. The Chronicle has reached out to Lucas’ office for comment.
Lucas represents District 69 in Indiana which covers portions of Jackson, Bartholomew, Scott, and Washington counties.
He was first elected in 2012 and most recently championed House Bill 1177 during the 2023 legislative session. The measure creates a state-funded gun training program for school staff.