IMPD sergeant charged with OWI for drunk driving

AVON, Indiana – Sergeant Peter Fekkes of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department is facing multiple charges of driving under the influence, opening a container intoxicated by alcohol and driving on the left side of the center lane.

Fekkes had already been suspended after driving while intoxicated in Ohio in 2022. In March 2023, he pleaded guilty to the crime and was fined $375. He was also placed on unsupervised probation for up to one year.

Fekkes was suspended without pay on April 10 pending a recommendation from the Civilian Performance Board for his dismissal.

A statement from the IMPD said that when he was arrested on July 25, he “had neither police authority nor police powers.”

Fekkes was stopped by a Hendricks County trooper in Avon around 11 p.m. Thursday night. The trooper said Fekkes’ car crossed the center line.

When he asked Fekkes about it, the deputy said Fekkes told him he was eating at Taco Bell.

According to court documents, he refused to take a breathalyzer or sobriety test. A blood draw reportedly showed his blood alcohol level was .249 – more than three times the legal limit. The arresting officer said he took Fekkes to the hospital before taking him into custody “due to his high alcohol level.”

Another Hendricks County deputy reportedly found an open vodka bottle on the floor of Fekkes’ car.

According to jail records, he is being held without bail in the Hendricks County Jail.

(NOTE: The video at the top of this story is from Fekke’s 2022 arrest for drunk driving in Ohio.)

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“I don’t want to put you in jail tonight,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper J. Garner told Fekes in November 2022.

The bodycam video shows the officer talking to Fekkes, who is handcuffed in the back seat of a patrol car while being pulled over for drunk driving.

The stop took place in Fairborn, Ohio. Wright State University police told Garner they found Fekkes slumped over the steering wheel of a crashed blue Jeep station wagon.

In the officer’s bodycam video, an unnamed male officer can be seen saying, “We knocked on the window, but he didn’t wake up… and refused to get out of the car.”

A policeman and a policewoman told the patrol officer that they had found a vodka bottle in Fekke’s jeep.

“It is big enough as it covers the seat and the floor,” said the policewoman.

IMPD issued a statement saying Fekkes reported the incident to his supervisor and Police Chief Randal Taylor was notified on Nov. 17. The same statement said Fekkes was placed on administrative duties for the duration of the investigation.

Fekkes joined the department in February 2002. According to IMPD, he has a history of disciplinary action. IMPD is still working on releasing Fekkes’ disciplinary report to 13 Investigates. The department said he also received praise, and a 2016 13News article indicates he received a certificate of commendation.

For the past twenty years, Fekkes has been responsible for enforcing Indiana state laws, including laws against drunk driving – laws he is now accused of violating in another state.

RELATED TOPICS: Bodycam video shows IMPD officer arrested for drunk driving in Ohio

An unnamed male officer said Fekkes was uncooperative because he did not answer questions.

“Hey buddy, we talked about this earlier,” the officer said. “When (the officer) got here, you were going to cooperate. I know you didn’t cooperate with me, but you’re going to cooperate with him.”

In the video, Fekkes can be heard refusing to answer some questions and to leave the police vehicle. However, he gave the police officers his phone and his wife’s phone number.

“I don’t want to take you to jail tonight, okay,” Garner said. “But if you provoke me, we’ll go straight to jail.”

“I don’t want to provoke you,” Fekkes replied. “I don’t want to provoke you.”

Shortly after this exchange, the IMPD sergeant got out of the police car and walked to the officer’s patrol car.

The video shows a flashlight shining into Fekke’s eyes as the officer examines her and begins to administer a breathalyzer test. Both the video and his citation show that he refused to take the test.

A 2021 law says an officer can lose his or her license if he or she is convicted of a crime or misdemeanor “that would cause a reasonable person to believe the officer is dangerous or violent.” License revocation is also at stake if the officer has a “demonstrated propensity to violate the law.”