Deputies: Mooresville teens take drunken joyride

MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - Three Mooresville teens, including a Mooresville High School football player, are facing allegations that they destroyed 10 mail boxes during a drunken joyride.

Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the Viola subdivision in Mooresville with word that teens were going house to house destroying mailboxes.

One of the residents heard the commotion and watched as the teens demolished another mailbox. Deputies say the resident climbed into his truck and began to follow the teens. Once the teens discovered they were being followed, they made an abrupt turn and skidded through a fence and into a field.

Deputies say the teens then turned several circles in the field and went back through another portion of the fence. The resident following the joy riding gang told deputies the vehicle was dragging fencing wire and was beginning to smoke.

At that point, two teens bailed out of the truck and the driver continued on slowly. Deputies say the resident gave up following the billowing truck and went home.

Deputies located the damaged truck and its teenager driver and took him into custody. Police records show the teen’s blood alcohol content level was .16. He was released to his mother and faces possible charges.

A second teen, Blaine Allen Gardner, was located and arrested on charges of public intoxication, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, minor consumption of alcohol and criminal mischief.

The third teen, unnamed because he is a juvenile, also faces possible charges.

Mooresville High School released the following statement:

Two Mooresville High School student athletes self-reported their involvement in a weekend incident. As a result of their actions, they are in violation of the MHS athletic code and may be subject to legal consequences.

MHS Athletic Policy gives students the option of self-reporting an incident that occurs away from school or school events. The students involved and their parents reported the incident as soon as possible to the MHS athletic department.

We applaud the families for their honesty and cooperation in coming forward. Our athletic policy calls for consequences and a counseling component for the students. It is our hope that these students will be able to move forward with their academic future in a positive manner.