DWI Racer "It's not unusual..."
10-14-2013, 06:06 PM
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DWI Racer "It's not unusual..."
Police say an Anderson race car driver was arrested on drunken driving and other charges Saturday night after a crash on the track led to a dustup off it.
Tommy Grant Lathan, 49, was arrested on preliminary charges of operating while intoxicated, criminal recklessness and intimidation.
Events unfolded about 10:30 p.m. when Anderson Speedway officials black-flagged Lathan because they believed he was driving in a reckless and aggressive manner that violated rules, said Detective Joel Sanderfur of the Anderson Police Department.
Lathan initially agreed to leave the race, Sandefur said, but then pulled back onto the track “for one reason or another” and crashed into another driver.
“That’s not unusual for something like that to happen,” said Sandefur, who works part-time security at the track as a side job.
Following the crash, though, Lathan and the other driver got into a heated confrontation. Officers on the premises separated the two men.
The matter may have ended there, but an officer smelled alcohol on Lathan’s breath, Sandefur said.
“In the state of Indiana you can’t operate a motor vehicle anywhere, whether on public or private property, while in a state of intoxication,” Sandefur said. “The major problem was the intoxication issue. That’s what we wanted to address.”
Witnesses told police they had seen Lathan drinking prior to the race, Sandefur said.
Lathan refused a breath test, Sandefur said, so police obtained a warrant for a blood draw at a local hospital. The intimidation charge against Lathan stems from threats made against officers executing the warrant for the blood draw, Sandefur said.
Test results will not be known for a few weeks, Sandefur said.
Sandefur said he has heard rumors about racers who drink before competing.
“There’s always been those reports,” he said, “but I’ve worked out there 18 years, and this is the first time we’ve made an arrest of this nature.”
Anderson Speedway, which advertises itself as “the world’s fastest high-banked quarter-mile asphalt oval,” enforces a “no-tolerance” policy toward the use of alcohol and illicit drugs, said Rick Dawson, 56, the track’s owner.
“Safety is our No. 1 priority,” Dawson said.
Tommy Grant Lathan, 49, was arrested on preliminary charges of operating while intoxicated, criminal recklessness and intimidation.
Events unfolded about 10:30 p.m. when Anderson Speedway officials black-flagged Lathan because they believed he was driving in a reckless and aggressive manner that violated rules, said Detective Joel Sanderfur of the Anderson Police Department.
Lathan initially agreed to leave the race, Sandefur said, but then pulled back onto the track “for one reason or another” and crashed into another driver.
“That’s not unusual for something like that to happen,” said Sandefur, who works part-time security at the track as a side job.
Following the crash, though, Lathan and the other driver got into a heated confrontation. Officers on the premises separated the two men.
The matter may have ended there, but an officer smelled alcohol on Lathan’s breath, Sandefur said.
“In the state of Indiana you can’t operate a motor vehicle anywhere, whether on public or private property, while in a state of intoxication,” Sandefur said. “The major problem was the intoxication issue. That’s what we wanted to address.”
Witnesses told police they had seen Lathan drinking prior to the race, Sandefur said.
Lathan refused a breath test, Sandefur said, so police obtained a warrant for a blood draw at a local hospital. The intimidation charge against Lathan stems from threats made against officers executing the warrant for the blood draw, Sandefur said.
Test results will not be known for a few weeks, Sandefur said.
Sandefur said he has heard rumors about racers who drink before competing.
“There’s always been those reports,” he said, “but I’ve worked out there 18 years, and this is the first time we’ve made an arrest of this nature.”
Anderson Speedway, which advertises itself as “the world’s fastest high-banked quarter-mile asphalt oval,” enforces a “no-tolerance” policy toward the use of alcohol and illicit drugs, said Rick Dawson, 56, the track’s owner.
“Safety is our No. 1 priority,” Dawson said.
