FORT WAYNE, Indiana — A photo of a half-empty vodka bottle
that was in a pickup truck was part of the evidence that persuaded a judge to
order an Indianapolis police officer held until his trial on drunken driving
charges in a fatal accident.
Allen County Judge John Surbeck, Jr. released about 100
pages of evidence Friday that influenced his decision to revoke bond for David
Bisard in May.
Bisard was charged with reckless homicide, drunken driving
and other counts in August 2010 after his cruiser slammed into two motorcycles
stopped at an intersection, killing 30-year-old motorcyclist Eric Wells and
injured two other people.
Two hours after the crash, a blood test showed that Bisard's
blood-alcohol level was more than twice Indiana's legal limit, though officers
at the crash scene said they did not suspect he was drunk. An internal probe in
2011 concluded that the investigation had been botched and riddled with errors,
but some critics suspected police were covering for one of their own.
Bisard was free on bond until he was arrested again and
charged with drunken driving in an April 27 crash in Indianapolis.
The evidence related to that second crash included dozens of
documents submitted by both sides.
Allen County Superior Court Executive Jerry Noble said he
did not believe the release of the evidence to the public prior Bisard's trial
would complicate any future appeal. The trial is set to begin Oct. 14 and is
expected to take up to a month.
"Our emphasis is to balance the importance and need for
a fair and impartial trial for the defendant against the need for the media to
know and provide information for the public," he said.
The trial in the 2010 crash was moved from Indianapolis to
Fort Wayne due to heavy media coverage in central Indiana. If convicted, he
could face 20 or more years in prison.
The evidence released Friday included two 911 calls
involving the April crash, in which a pickup truck driven by Bisard crashed
into a guardrail. Authorities said he had blood-alcohol level of 0.22 percent,
nearly 3 times the legal limit.
One caller said the truck was swerving, and the other said
Bisard appeared to be drunk after the crash.