Mayor Wood responds to findings of investigation involving son
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According to the body camera footage, the officer who conducted the stop observed signs of intoxication from the driver, Joe Wood.
One supervisor who was present has since resigned and another has taken a demotion.
Joe Wood was not given a field sobriety test or given chemical breath test after he was stopped for driving at a high rate of speed at the intersection of East Mishawaka and Indiana Avenue.
He was told to lock his vehicle, and the patrol commander, Captain Beckham, told the officer who initiated the stop, "he would take care of it."
According to the Mishawaka Police Department policy manual, while suspecting a driver of a vehicle is operating a vehicle while intoxicated at minimum the following will be documented:
- FST administered and results
- Officers observations
- Location and time frame of the vehicle operation
- Field sobriety tests administered and the results
- Officers' observations that indicate impairment
- Location and time frame of the individual vehicle’s operation
The mayor provided an official statement:
"I want to thank the community, specifically the Citizens of Mishawaka, for their ongoing support, thoughts, and prayers during this difficult time for my family, the community and myself. My top priority has always been and will remain serving the citizens of Mishawaka with honesty and integrity. It is my privilege to serve as your mayor of Mishawaka and this is a commitment I never take lightly. My expectations are well known, have been communicated often and I want to reiterate here; public safety and law and order are job number one, and everyone should be treated fairly under the law. I did not find out about the traffic stop involving my adult son until after the fact. There is no service provided by local government more vital than public safety. Here in Mishawaka, it’s of utmost importance to me. I continue to have complete confidence in the leadership and officers of the Mishawaka Police Department and their hometown approach to serving the public. Their important work has made Mishawaka a better, safer place for all."
Police sources tell ABC57 news that no outside agencies have investigated this matter at this time.