Marion County constable for Center Township faces 2nd DUI charge
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lance Stephens, the constable for Marion County’s Center Township, had asked a judge to overturn his first DUI conviction.
The judge denied that request.
Now, Stephens faces a felony DUI charge in Hamilton County. If convicted, he could be removed from office.
According to documents uncovered by I-Team 8, Stephens’ first DUI arrest was Aug. 14, 2016, on West Thompson Road on the south side of Indianapolis. Court documents say at 1:25 a.m., his black Lexus was stopped in the middle of the road facing the wrong direction. When the police arrived officers described Stephens as being unsteady on his feet with red and glassy eyes. He failed the field sobriety tested and then vomited.
Stephens had plead guilty in that case, and Marion County judge Clayton Graham this week denied Stephens’ request to overturn that conviction and Stephens’ argument that his court-appointed lawyer was ineffective.
The second DUI arrest happened in April in Fishers. According to the police report, Stephens failed a field sobriety test and his blood-alcohol level was 0.82, which is slightly over the rate considered to be drunk in Indiana.
Since the second DUI arrest was within seven years, Stephens was charged with a felony.
Stephens was appointed to the constable’s office in June 2020 after the death of the elected constable.
If convicted in Hamilton County, Stephens would not be eligible to hold elected office.
I-Team 8 has attempted to contact Stephens a number of times over the past couple of months at his office in the Julia M. Carson Government Center on Fall Creek Parkway. On Friday, security officers at the government center said Stephens had not been in the office since earlier in the week, but they promised to again let him know I-Team 8 is trying to reach him.
Stephens has been endorsed by the Marion County Democratic Party for reelection to the constable’s office in the May primary. The Marion County Democrats Central Committee did not reply to I-Team 8’s requests for comment.
Also, neither Stephens’ lawyer or the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office would comment on the pending case. Stephens’ Hamilton County case is scheduled for a jury trial on March 31.