(La Porte County, IN) - A man allegedly tried name-dropping to try and avoid being arrested for driving while impaired in La Porte County.

 

Timothy Schumaker, 40, of Hudson Lake has been accused of having a blood alcohol level of .214 percent.

 

On early Sunday, an officer was called to a home in the 8700 block of North 700 East where a woman spotted a vehicle whose driver she didn’t know parked in her driveway.

 

La Porte County Police said the car was still running and the driver, later identified as Schumaker, was sleeping while reclined in the driver’s seat of his 2018 Volvo XC90. The officer yelled and pounded on the window numerous times, but it wasn’t until he began shaking the car that Schumaker woke up.

 

Schumaker reportedly told the officer he was at home sleeping in his car after returning from a family member’s residence. However, he was still a few miles from his residence.

 

After being taken to the La Porte County Jail, police said Schumaker mentioned the name of a highly ranked local elected official before stating “Do I need to pull political connections? Because I will do that.”

 

He was booked into the facility on a charge of Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated after failing a certified blood alcohol test.