An Indiana state representative has been suspended from his job at the Indianapolis Fire Department after being charged with drunken driving and impersonating a police officer to obtain illegal drugs such as cocaine.
Indianapolis police charged Dan Forestal, a 36-year-old Democratic lawmaker, with one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement and impersonating a public servant, according to CNN.
Court documents show that Forestal harassed patrons at a bar in Indianapolis about where he could find “party favors such as cocaine.”
Later that night, he stopped in front of a couple’s home while pretending to be a police officer and told residents he was conducting a drug bust in the area. He specifically asked where the “people selling drugs” lived and showed residents his firefighter’s badge. He allegedly identified himself as a “legit officer.”
“First he wasn’t really trying to show a badge like a normal person. It was one of those quick flash and try and take away. He didn’t introduce himself by any name,” James McGuire told local news station WTHR.
McGuire immediately snapped a picture of Forestal’s vehicle and called police. When officers arrived, they found Forestal in his car clinging to the steering wheel as they tried to remove him. He was placed in handcuffs after a “brief struggle,” according to the affidavit.
The Indianapolis Fire Department said Forestal was suspended for 240 days without pay, and he would be placed on administrative leave afterward.
IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith said in a statement that Forestal “will not be responding on runs or acting in the capacity of a suppression firefighter/EMT.” The fire department will decide corrective measures pending the case’s outcome.
Forestal’s court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27.
