East Chicago Man Charged with Felony Drunk Driving

A man from East Chicago has been charged with bribery and felony drunken driving. Arthur Peterson, 39, of East 141st Street, asked the officer repeatedly to give him a break, then said, “I’ll go over by the machine and you can blow into it, I’ll give you $100 if you do. What do you think?” according to the probable cause affidavit.

Peterson was stopped at 7:15 am on November 22 in East Chicago. 15 minutes before he was stopped, police responded to a two-car accident on Kennedy Avenue. Both cars sustained damage. Police got a description of Peterson and noted he appeared in disarray and smelled strongly of alcohol and could not pass the physical sobriety test.

While the police officer was busy with the other driver, he noticed Peterson had fled. He was located at his home.

Peterson’s blood alcohol content was 0.26 percent, three times the legal limit. He was charged with felony drunk driving because his blood alcohol surpassed 0.15 percent. He faces a term of 2-8 years for the bribery charge and up to 3 years for the operating while intoxicated charge.