(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte County Police say a driver traveling the wrong way on a four-lane highway has a history of impaired driving.

 

On Friday night, an officer responded to a 911 dispatch about a driver traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of U.S. 35. The suspect was heading toward La Porte from Kingsbury.

 

According to police, the vehicle had returned to the proper lanes when the officer spotted his pick-up truck near 300 South. The officer had to travel over 100 miles per hour to catch the driver, weaving badly at 75 miles per hour.

 

29-year-old Clay Kendera of Merrillville was arrested when he refused to take a breathalyzer test, police said. The front end of his pick-up truck was damaged heavily, and there was grass embedded in the grill, apparently from crossing the grassy median of the highway.  

 

The charge was upgraded from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Level 6 Felony because the driver had a prior OWI conviction.