Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas (R) pleads guilty to drunk driving and leaving the scene

On Monday, Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) accepted a plea deal after being charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene for an incident that occurred on May 31.

Lucas will avoid 240 days of jail time and instead pay $4,000 in damages, enroll in an alcohol and drug abuse program and have his license suspended for 60 days. He will still be able to drive for “business-related purposes” during the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Aug. 11.

On the night of May 31, Indiana State Police responded to reports of a truck going off the road and crashing into a guard rail on Interstate 65. Police showed up to find tire track marks and pieces of the vehicle spread over the area. Lucas and his severely damaged truck were found parked behind a nearby carpet and flooring business.

Seymour Police Department released bodycam footage Monday, where an inebriated Lucas tells the officers “I thought I saw a deer. How’s that?” Lucas also falsely claimed that he was just out for a walk before he failed a field sobriety test and a portable breathalyzer test that showed a blood alcohol level of .097, over the .08 legal level.

BODYCAM FOOTAGE: Indiana State Rep. Jim Lucas (R) pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was sentenced to 240 days in jail (which was later suspended).

In the crash report, when Lucas was asked for a statement, he said, “I thought I saw a deer, how’s that?” pic.twitter.com/Lsl6AictVu

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) June 13, 2023

“I take full responsibility for actions and make no excuses,” Lucas said in a statement to 13News. “I apologize to my family, friends and constituents, and I’m sincerely committed to being better and doing better. I plan to take time to evaluate myself and I’m already enrolled in counseling to get the help I need. I will continue to work every day to earn back the trust of my community while serving my neighbors in House District 69.”

However, the 69^th district representative told “The Hammer and Nigel Show” Monday that he would not resign over the incident.

“I still feel I’m a very good legislator,” Lucas said. “One bad decision should not weigh on a person’s integrity or their capabilities for the rest of their lives.”

Lucas was first elected to the Indiana Legislature in 2012, where he has been the subject of several controversies during his tenure. Victim blaming, racist comments, pedaling false conspiracies and quoting famous Nazis are some of the past doings Lucas has been the center of.