WARSAW – A Warsaw man was arrested Sunday on preliminary charges of Operating While Intoxicated.
Dan Spalding, 61, of Warsaw, was initially stopped by Warsaw Police on Indiana Street around noon Sunday for failure to wear a seatbelt. Upon questioning by law enforcement, Spalding admitted to having ingested Delta-9, a chemical in cannabis and hemp plants.
After failing a field sobriety test, Spalding was placed into custody and transported to a local hospital where he agreed to a blood draw. He was then taken to the Kosciusko County Jail without incident. He was released Sunday afternoon.
Spalding works as News Director for News Now Warsaw 1480-AM/99.7-FM, owned by Kensington Digital Media of Indiana. Station Management has suspended him indefinitely, pending internal review.
Delta-9 can have an intoxicating effect and may cause some side effects. Delta-9 is legal in the state of Indiana, under Senate Bill 516, passed in 2019.
However, under Indiana Code 9-30-5-1, a person may be charged with an OWI in Indiana if they are found to be operating a vehicle under the influence of cannabis, or related substances. Currently, there is no breathalyzer-like test available to law enforcement officers to determine a person’s level of cannabis-induced intoxication.
Law enforcement officers can determine intoxication by looking for certain indicators (such as slurred speech, failure to obey traffic laws and/or the failure of a field sobriety test).
