CICERO, Ind.(DDN) – A Hamilton County police captain has been charged with drunk driving following a hit-and-run crash involving his police SUV on Christmas. His wife and father-in-law have also been charged.
Captain Edwin Hodson of the Cicero Police Department was placed on administrative leave last month following claims that he crashed his squad car on Christmas Day after running off the road in Noblesville.
Hodson, 38, was accused on Wednesday of drunk driving and fled the scene.
His wife, Lora Hodson, and father-in-law, Charles Johnston, have also been accused of allegedly assisting the cop in trying to cover up the incident.
Christmas Day crash
Around 7 p.m. on December 25, police were dispatched to the 9900 block of 206th Street in Noblesville for an accident. Crews discovered a silver 2020 Ford Explorer that had slammed into a rock and an AT&T cable box. The SUV was branded “Cicero Police Department” and is owned by the Town of Cicero.
According to a preliminary police investigation, the SUV was traveling westbound on 206th Street west of Overdorf Road when the driver swerved to the north and collided with a boulder and the cable box.
An investigator arrived on the scene and began speaking with Lora Hodson, who stated that she was driving the police vehicle when it skidded off the road. Lora stated that she had been driving because her husband, a Cicero police captain named Ed, had been drinking.
Lora informed authorities that Ed was a passenger in the vehicle when she crashed and that she and her husband had an altercation, which caused her to veer off the road and crash. She further stated that Ed had since left the scene, traveling westbound on 206th Street.
Witness Testimony and Dash Cam Evidence
Investigators quickly discovered a witness to the crash who had seen the SUV go off the road. The man stated that he witnessed the crash from the window of his residence, which is around 200 feet from the damaged cable box.
The man claimed that minutes later, he went outside to find a woman standing at the squad car’s open passenger-side door. He also recalled seeing a 6-foot-tall male exit the driver’s side door and head west on 206th Street before police arrived on the scene.
Officials quickly discovered that the SUV was fitted with a dash camera that showed the interior of the car and was recording during the collision. The video purportedly showed Ed in the driver’s seat when the truck crashed. Nobody else is spotted inside the automobile.
The dashcam video then shows Ed calling his wife, who admits she “figured” Ed shouldn’t have been driving.
“If the cops end up here, we’re in trouble,” Lora stated in court filings. “You’ve been drinking and you’re driving.”
Lora arrived at the scene less than a minute later and began attempting to persuade Ed to exchange seats with her and claim she was driving. Ed was then heard questioning what this would alter, to which Lora responded, “The fact that you’re driving your police vehicle while intoxicated.”
When Ed finally got out of the automobile, he started walking away from the accident. Lora can then be heard on film calling Ed’s name and stating, “He’s going for a walk.”
The following day, a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy issued a probable cause affidavit against Ed Hodson. According to the paper, Ed was never given field sobriety tests because he was not present at the site of the incident.
However, the police report states that the deputy observed Ed’s slurred, repetitious speech when he spoke to him about three hours later at his Cicero home. His balance was allegedly shaky, therefore the deputy determined that Ed should be charged with OWI.
Father-in-law’s Participation
While investigating the crash further, detectives discovered that Lora was not the only person who attempted to help Ed cover up the accident.
The audio obtained by the dashcam of the crashed police SUV purportedly identified another individual on the scene: his father-in-law, Charles Johnston. Cicero PD announced Wednesday that Johnston is a volunteer chaplain with the department and that he has been placed on administrative leave.
Lora reportedly called her parents after arriving on the site shortly after the incident to assist with the situation.
“I need you,” Lora is reported as saying. “Can you drive your car down 206th?”
Lora can be heard telling Ed about her father’s arrival some six minutes later.
“Make him get out of the driver’s seat,” Lora says. “He drove off the road.” “He shouldn’t have been driving.”
Then Johnston yells at Ed.
“Get out.” “This is not an option,” he reportedly stated. “We are trying to save your a**, Eddie.”
On January 3, police hauled Johnston in for an interview, during which he related what happened on Christmas Day. He stated that the Hodsons had been visiting his residence throughout the day. After the couple left, he received a call from Lora, who stated that she was on 206th with her flashers on.
Johnston stated that he drove to the location and spoke with Lora before getting into her Dodge minivan and going back to the Hodson’s home. He also stated that he was aware that the police were looking for Ed, but he did not report the crash.
Charges Filed
To avoid “any appearance of impropriety,” a Madison County special prosecutor was appointed to review Hodson’s case. On Wednesday, January 15, the prosecutor issued final charging decisions.
Court documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4 show that Ed Hodson, Lora Hodson, and Charles Johnston have all been charged with felony offenses in connection with the crash. They have been charged with the following:
- Cicero resident Edwin A. Hodson, 38, was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor).
Class A misdemeanors include driving while intoxicated and endangering others, whereas Class B misdemeanors include leaving the scene of an accident. - Lora L. Hodson, 39, of Cicero, was charged with False Informing (a Class B misdemeanor).
Aiding, inducing, or causing someone to leave the scene of an accident (Class B misdemeanor) - Charles S. Johnston, 65, from Noblesville
Aiding, inducing, or causing someone to leave the scene of an accident (Class B misdemeanor)
In Indiana, the penalties for these charges are as follows.
- A Class A misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
- A Class B misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of 180 days in prison or a $1,000 fine.
- A Class C misdemeanor is punishable by either 60 days in prison or a $500 fine.
An initial hearing for all three suspects is planned for 1:15 p.m. on February 13 in Hamilton Superior Court 6. As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, nobody of the three suspects had been booked into the Hamilton County Jail.
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