A bar faces several charges after an intoxicated 20-year-old customer ran a stop sign and crashed into a car driven by a mother who had her 8-month-old baby with her.
Highway 40 Sports Bar and Grill, 558 National Avenue, W. Terre Haute, faces five charges after a two-month investigation by State Excise Police.
On the night of March 18, Jacob A. Hubbard, 20, and Kristopher Hedden, 20, both of W. Terre Haute, went to Highway 40 Sports Bar and Grill after they had already consumed 12 beers each. They sat at the bar, where Hubbard showed his U.S. military ID to bartender Chelsea B. Carter, 22, also of W. Terre Haute. Carter only looked at the front of the ID, not at the back, where the date of birth is displayed. Hedden showed Carter Hubbard’s dog tags as his form of identification. Both would show Hubbard’s date of birth making him 20 years of age.
Hubbard and Hedden each ordered a total of six beers, four shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and two shots of Jameson from Carter, who told investigators that she knew they were both intoxicated when she served them. After leaving the bar, Hubbard ran a stop sign, crashing his 2007 Ford Mustang into a vehicle driven by a mother with her 8-month-old baby, trapping both vehicles’ occupants inside. They were extricated from the vehicles by emergency crews and taken to Union Hospital, where Hubbard’s Blood Alcohol Content was .29% — almost four times the legal limit to drive.
Hubbard was arrested by West Terre Haute Police Department officers and faces charges of battery by bodily waste, intimidation, operating while intoxicated endangering a person, and illegal consumption. Hubbard’s case is set for trial by jury on June 23, at 1:30 p.m. in Vigo Superior Court V.
Highway 40 Sports Bar and Grill and bartender Chelsea B. Carter face preliminary charges of sale of alcohol to a minor (two counts), allowing a minor to loiter (two counts) and sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person. Penalties could range from fines up to $5,000, suspension of the alcohol permit for a period of time or revocation of the alcohol permit.
“State Excise Police officers will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement to determine where intoxicated drivers were drinking,” Superintendent Matt Strittmatter said. “Locations found to have over served their customers will be held accountable.”
As the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the primary mission of the Indiana State Excise Police is to promote public safety by enforcing Indiana’s Alcoholic Beverage Code. While excise officers have the authority to enforce any state law, they focus primarily on alcohol, tobacco and related laws.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. All respondents are to be presumed not liable until, and unless, the plaintiff can prove by preponderance of the evidence the respondent’s liability in an administrative hearing.
