Rumors debunked on traffic stop
Allegations of drunk driving against a Putnam County police official are being declared false by Hendricks County authorities.
Amo Town Marshal Ed Bradley told the BannerGraphic, "There's nothing to it" on claims that Putnam Sheriff Mark Frisbie was stopped for drunk driving in Amo on March 26.
In fact, Frisbie was not even driving when his truck was pulled over for exceeding the 30 mph speed limit in Amo.
Sheriff Frisbie called the allegations an attempted smear campaign in an election year.
"This is an election year and unfortunately, false rumors occur at this time. I will not engage in such tactics," Frisbie said Tuesday morning.
Marshal Bradley told the BannerGraphic his two reserve police officers were patrolling in the early hours of March 26 when they stopped a truck in Amo for traveling about 10 mph over the speed limit. The officers asked for the driver's identification, and Brad Williams handed them his license, Bradley said. The reserve officers saw that Williams was a sheriff's department employee, briefly talked to Sheriff Frisbie, who was a passenger in the truck, and then let them continue on their way home.
"There was nothing else to it," Bradley said Monday when asked about his traffic stop.
"We don't even write tickets in Amo unless they are 15 mph or more over the speed limit."
Bradley, who has served as a judge in Boone County for more than two years, said he deals with traffic violations every day and saw nothing wrong with how the Amo officers handled the traffic stop.
Hendricks County Dispatch records show the stop occurred at 1:13 a.m. and the vehicle was released at 1:15 a.m. No report was taken.
"The guy didn't do anything wrong," Bradley said of Frisbie. "If they had been drinking and driving, my guys would have called me." Once he found out another police agency was involved, Bradley said, "I would have called the Indiana State Police and let them handle this. They are impartial."
Frisbie said he has heard rumors recently about the traffic stop and feels nothing illegal occurred. The sheriff said he was returning home from hearing a musician perform in Hendricks County when the stop happened.