Police: Evansville man accused of striking, killing bicyclist while driving intoxicated
EVANSVILLE — Police have arrested an Evansville man accused of fatally striking a bicyclist while reportedly driving drunk Wednesday night.
Officers booked Scott C. Lane, 37, into the Vanderburgh County jail just after 4:10 a.m. Thursday, according to booking records. Lane is preliminarily charged with multiple offenses, including operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated resulting in death.
Evansville police had not publicly identified the victim as of Thursday morning.
According to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by the Courier & Press, Lane faces four preliminary charges:
Leaving the scene of an accident while intoxicated, a Level 3 felony
Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a Level 4 felony
Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing endangerment, a misdemeanor
Refusal to submit to a chemical test
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Lane allegedly struck the bicyclist with his truck Wednesday night at the intersection of Boeke Road and Sweetser Avenue. Evansville police officers who responded to the area at 8:32 p.m. said they found the bicyclist lying on the street, the affidavit states.
The victim later died at a local hospital, police said.
While Lane was not present at the scene when officers arrived to investigate, eyewitness accounts, a called-in tip and license plate cameras traced the collision to Lane's truck, according to EPD detectives who said Lane had consumed a mix of alcohol and prescription anxiety medication prior to the fatal collision.
Onlookers said Lane approached the downed cyclist before leaving scene
EPD Detective Ryan Eagleson, who wrote the probable cause affidavit filed in support of Lane's charges, said eyewitnesses claimed a blue-colored pick-up truck struck the bicyclist.
One of the witnesses identified the truck as a Dodge and said it had "writing on the wheel well, and the right rear bumper was curled up as if someone crashed it," Eagleson wrote in the affidavit.
The witness also claimed the driver of the truck exited the vehicle and approached the injured cyclist in a failed attempt to "get him walking." At one point, a female passenger seen riding in the truck's front seat exited the vehicle, too, a witness reportedly said, before the driver ushered her back into her seat.
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One of the witnesses told police the driver of the truck yelled to them, "He's OK! He's OK!" before they left the scene of the collision. The witness also claimed the driver smelled of alcohol and believed he was "drunk driving," according to Eagleson.
As police continued their investigation, Evansville-Vanderburgh Central Dispatch received a call from a woman who believed Lane may have been involved in a hit and run, the affidavit states. The female passenger riding in Lane's vehicle reportedly called the tipster earlier in the evening and said Lane was driving "erratically."
Flock Safety cameras photographed Lane's truck, police say
The tip reportedly led police to identify Lane as the owner of a blue, 2009 Dodge Ram pick-up truck.
Detectives said they entered the vehicle's license plate into the EPD's Flock Safety camera system, which showed Lane's truck near the scene of the crash minutes before dispatchers began to receive 911 calls.
The Flock cameras, which automatically scan the license plates of passing vehicles, showed the damage incurred by Lane's truck matched the description given by eyewitnesses earlier that evening, according to Eagleson. The cameras are also capable of recording other information, such as a vehicle's make, model and aftermarket alterations.
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EPD officers arrested Lane at his residence in the 1200 block of North Second Avenue Wednesday night and transported him to a local hospital, where he allegedly refused to take a blood-alcohol test as required by Indiana law.
Detectives said Lane's eyes were "red and bloodshot" and claimed his breath smelled of alcohol.
"His speech was slurred as well," Eagleson wrote in the affidavit.
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Detectives said they interviewed the female passenger seen riding in Lane's truck at the time of the collision. She reportedly told detectives Lane had been taking a combination of pills and alcohol — including a prescription anxiety medication.
"(She) said Scott had been drinking beer throughout the whole day," Eagleson wrote. "Right before the accident occurred, Scott was on his second case of beer."
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While detectives waited to receive a search warrant authorizing the collection of a blood sample, Eagleson said Lane made an unprompted statement implicating himself in the collision.
"Scott made an excited utterance asking if this whole incident was because of him hitting the guy and stopping to check on him," Eagleson wrote.
A nearby officer's body camera captured audio of the statement, according to Eagleson.
As of Thursday morning, the charges against Lane did not appear in online dockets for Vanderburgh County Circuit or Superior Court.
Houston can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Police say Evansville man charged in fatal hit, run was intoxicated
