Corydon man found drunk, bites officer

By: 
Staff Writer Kate Wehlann

Don Laverne Pittman, Jr., 49, Corydon, was arrested Wednesday, Jan. 9, after he was found incapacitated in his vehicle on Rolling Hills Court in Posey Township.

A passerby called to report the vehicle was parked but still running with Pittman slumped over in the driver’s seat just before 2:30 p.m. Posey Township Firefighters Michael Dilly and Kevin Taylor were first on the scene and woke Pittman up when they opened the door and Pittman got out of the car.

Deputy Matt Hein arrived just before 3 p.m. and found the vehicle was parked perpendicular to the roadway with the rear tires in the grass at the edge of the road. Hein said in his report Pittman’s balance was very poor and he needed to hold onto the car and the firefighters to keep from falling down. Hein also noticed his speech was slow and slurred, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot and he could smell alcohol on Pittman’s breath when he spoke to him. There was also a mostly empty alcohol container in the center console of the vehicle.
Pittman admitted he had been drinking and replied, “Pretty much,” when Hein asked him how much he had been drinking. He admitted he had driven himself to Rolling Hills Court. He refused to answer questions about an abrasion on his forehead, which was bleeding.

Due to Pittman’s poor balance and belligerent attitude, Hein decided to skip the field sobriety tests. When he told Pittman he was going to be detained and taken to the hospital for blood and urine samples, Hein said Pittman became very belligerent and theatened to fight Hein if he tried to touch him. After verbal commands to turn around and place his hands behind his back to be handcuffed, he complied reluctantly; however, when Hein put one of Pittman’s hands in cuffs, Pittman pulled away and refused to give Hein his other hand. Hein eventually gained control of the other hand, but Pittman managed to get ahold of Hein’s uniform vest and started pulling on Hein’s uniform.

Hein eventually regained control and got him into his squad car. While he was trying to speak with the woman who initially called to report the incident, one of the firefighters interrupted to tell Hein Pittman had undone his seatbelt and was kicking the window and spitting inside the vehicle. Hein said he obtained a verbal statement from the caller, but wasn’t able to take photos of the vehicle due to Pittman’s behavior.

He took Pittman to St. Vincent-Salem Hospital, where Pittman became increasingly belligerent during the check-in process, yelling profanity at him and the hospital staff, despite Hein telling him to stop because there were families with children in the waiting room. Pittman ignored him and continued to try to stand up from his chair and, at one point, stood up and head-butted the glass divider between them and the hospital staff.

Hein radioed for help and tried to get Pittman back in his chair, but Pittman turned his head and bit Hein on the forearm. Hein was in a long-sleeved shirt and the bite didn’t break the skin. Hein restrained Pittman on the floor until the back-up officer arrived.

Salem Officer Allison Garloch and Deputy Tory Hildreth arrived to stay with Pittman while Hein obtained a search warrant for Pittman’s blood and urine. Pittman’s ACE was .346.

After Pittman was medically cleared, he was taken to the Washington County Detention Center and preliminarily cahrged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of at least .15, resisting law enforcement and battery by bodily waste against a public safety official.

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