Feds want Muncie officer facing obstruction charge held after DWI arrest in Kokomo
MUNCIE, Ind. — Federal prosecutors want a Muncie police officer awaiting trial for obstruction of justice jailed following his driving-while-intoxicated arrest in Kokomo.
In the federal case, Corey Posey is accused of filing a false report in 2018 after fellow officer Chase Winkle physically assaulted an arrestee.
The 31-year-old Posey — free on his own recognizance since being indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2021 — stood trial on the federal count of obstruction of justice last month, but a mistrial was declared when jurors were unable to agree on a verdict.
He is scheduled to stand trial a second time, in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, beginning Sept. 11.
On July 7, Posey was arrested following a rear-end collision on U.S. 31 near Markland Avenue in Kokomo.
The Muncie officer told authorities he "came up too quickly on the car driving in front of him."
He also reported he had been "falling asleep while driving," according to a police report. The collision was reported about 5 a.m.
A witness told Kokomo police that before the collision, he had been traveling at 70 mph on U.S. 31 when Posey passed him "at a high rate of speed" while "swerving all over the roadway."
A test reportedly measured the Muncie officer's blood-alcohol content at 0.087. In Indiana, motorists with a BAC of 0.08 or higher are considered intoxicated. Posey was released after posting bond at the Howard County jail.
On July 10, the Muncie officer was charged in Howard Superior Court 3 with driving while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail. His trial in that case is set for Dec. 15.
In the wake of the Kokomo arrest, the U.S. Attorney's office filed a motion asking that Posey be held in federal custody until his obstruction-of-justice trial in September.
U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has scheduled a hearing on that request for July 18.
Muncie Police Chief Nate Sloan issued a statement indicating his department was investigating the Kokomo arrest of Posey, who is on administrative leave,
"Once this investigation is complete, the matter will be forwarded to the Muncie Police Merit Commission per procedure and in accordance with Indiana state law," Sloan said.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Feds want Muncie police officer detained after DWI arrest in Kokomo
