Docs: Stinesville officer was drunk in patrol car when he rear-ended truck, fled scene, crashed again

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Charges have been filed against a reserve officer for the Stinesville Police Department who is accused of fleeing the scene of a drunk-driving crash while off-duty.

Douglas Rutoskey, 36, faces charges of:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person
• Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated

Rutoskey was arrested on Nov. 20. News 8 has reached out to Stinesville officials to confirm the status of Rutoskey’s employment.

According to court documents, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 2500 block of West Southport Road just before 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 20. That’s just west of Belmont Avenue.

Responding officers arrived to find a 2013 Ford Taurus with police markings on it had been crashed into a barrier wall. The airbag was deployed and the red-and-blue police lights on top of the vehicle were activated.

Officers spoke to two men at the scene. They said the driver of the police vehicle had rear-ended the truck they were in at the intersection of U.S. 37 and Southport Road. They said the driver got out and said, “I didn’t do nothing,” then got back into the car and drove away. They described the driver as a “short white male wearing blue jeans and a gray ‘Champion’ hooded sweatshirt,” according to court documents.

The men got back in their truck and continued west on Southport Road. They eventually came across the police vehicle again after it crashed around three miles west of their original encounter.

Another man spoke to police at the scene, claiming to be a witness to the crash into the barrier and to know the driver of the police vehicle. He said after the crash, the driver – whom he recognized as his next-door neighbor – jumped out of the vehicle and ran west.

IMPD officers then went to the suspect’s house with information provided by the witness. When they arrived, they were greeted by four children, who allowed officers to enter the home.

IMPD officers found Rutoskey asleep in his bed.

“Officers woke Douglas Rutoskey from his sleep in an attempt to speak with him, and observed his speech was very disorganized, slurred, and did not initially make any sense whatsoever,” court documents state.

A gray hooded “Champion” sweatshirt was found on the floor.

Police say Rutoskey admitted to drinking at a bar in the 1300 block of West Southport Road earlier and officers went to the bar to speak to employees. After being shown a picture of Rutoskey, the bar manager said he had been kicked out twice the night before. The general manager of the bar provided surveillance video of Rutoskey and his vehicle, which he parked across the street from the bar.

Stinesville is a town in Monroe County with a population of about 200. It’s about 14 miles northwest of Bloomington.

Rutoskey has an initial court appearance on Dec. 13.