KOSCIUSKO — The Pierceton clerk-treasurer was recently pulled over and arrested after leaving the Pierceton town Christmas party intoxicated.

Jerry Fredrick Kreger

Jerry Fredrick Kreger, 59, 613 N. First St., Pierceton, is being charged with operating while intoxicated, a class A misdemeanor.

Shortly after 9 p.m. on Dec. 8, an officer with the Indiana State Police observed a pickup truck swerving between the fog line and center line while driving on SR 13, near Old Road 30. The officer followed the truck which continued to weave between the lines. The affidavit of probable cause states that the officer observed the driver fail to signal lane changes, fail to maintain its lane of travel and fail to use its left turn signal.

The officer activated his emergency lights and the driver pulled his vehicle into a driveway of what was later established as his residence. According to the court documents, the driver opened his door and the officer observed an odor of an alcoholic beverage. The driver told the officer that he was coming home from the town Christmas party but that earlier in the morning he had responded to a first responder call at his dad’s residence. The driver further advised that he spent most of the day with his father at the hospital, came home and had a few drinks and then went to the Christmas party where he consumed additional beer and liquor.

The officer stated that during these comments, the driver’s speech was slurred and mumbled. When the driver was asked for his driver’s license, the driver started to get out of the truck but started to fall in the process. The officer caught the driver from falling, who handed the officer his license identifying himself as Kreger.

The officer proceeded to conduct several field-sobriety tests, which indicated that Kreger was intoxicated. Kreger then submitted to a portable breath test, which resulted in a .199 BAC.

A 15-minute observation time was conducted, during which Kreger repeated the story of his day’s events and told the officer that he and his dad were both on the Pierceton Fire Department for several years, that he was a first responder, that he was the Pierceton town clerk and that he was embarrassed. Kreger retired from serving the fire department around two years ago.

Kreger was then transported to the Kosciusko County Jail, where he failed an additional field-sobriety test. A certified breath test was administered at this time, which resulted in a .191 BAC.

Kreger was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail and later released on a $700 cash bond. He is ordered to appear in court on Jan. 7.

Ink Free News reached out to Kreger, but he stated he had no comment at this time.