Legislator thanks friends for support after DUI arrest

A local legislator convicted of drunk driving after leaving the scene of a May crash has taken to social media to address his supporters and critics.

Republican State Representative Jim Lucas of Seymour was arrested by Indiana State Police miles from the crash site after the incident on May 31st. Early that morning, he drove his truck off the side of an entrance ramp to Interstate 65 and down the steep hill from State Road 11, hit a guardrail, then drove the wrong way back up the ramp and on into Seymour with flattened tires and heavy front end damage to his vehicle.

He failed a sobriety test and was sentenced to 180 days of supervised probation under a plea agreement in June.

In a Facebook post, Lucas said he exercised horrible judgement and said he owns the mistakes and accepts the court’s judgment. He thanked friends for their support saying that they helped get him “through a very dark (self-inflicted) period of my life” and that they showed him the beautiful side of humanity.”

He also addressed those he called haters, saying they showed him the ugly side of humanity and he said he would be stronger and more driven because of their ridicule.

Lucas plans to continue his role as state representative despite the conviction.

Lucas represents parts of Bartholomew, Jackson, Scott and Washington counties.

TTWN Media Networks contributed to this report.