Indiana Lawmaker Facing Felony Charge Drops Reelection Bid

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A state legislator from Indianapolis facing charges of threatening police officers who stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving is dropping his reelection bid.

Democratic Rep. Dan Forestal said in a statement Tuesday the decision was one of the hardest in his lift but that he needed to focus on his mental health rather than continue in the legislative seat he first won in 2012.

Forestal was arrested in August after police were called about a man claiming he was a police officer. Forestal faces a low-level felony count of impersonating an officer and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and drunken driving. Forestal threatened to "have" all of the officers' badges, according to a police report.

A special prosecutor is handling the case as Forestal’s uncle is Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal. He’s been allowed to remain in the Legislature since he hasn’t been convicted of a felony.