State Rep. Jim Lucas arrested for driving while intoxicated, leaving scene of crash

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Brandon Smith

Article origination IPB News

Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) was arrested by Indiana State Police for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash.
*Lauren Chapman/IPB News*

Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) was booked into a southern Indiana county jail early Wednesday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Indiana State Police arrested the Republican after he allegedly crashed his vehicle on Interstate 65 and drove off.

A state police spokesperson said Lucas’s vehicle was found by Seymour police shortly after the crash. Lucas was located nearby and arrested by state police and booked into the Jackson County Jail for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash that caused property damage.

The most serious of those charges would be a Class A misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail and $5,000 fine.

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Lucas is in his fifth term as a state lawmaker. He is considered one of the legislature’s most strident advocates to reduce or eliminate gun regulations and has pushed Indiana to legalize cannabis.

Lucas has repeatedly courted controversy in his time at the Statehouse, notably for racist social media posts.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Tags:IPB Rep. Jim Lucas

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