HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind — A Hendricks County man received a jail sentence Tuesday in connection with an April crash that became linked to the death of a sheriff's deputy.
Juan Gomez was sentenced to one year in jail for operating while intoxicated, 60 days for operating while never receiving a drivers license and 60 days for being a minor in consumption, all misdemeanors, according to Hendricks County Prosecutor Loren Delp.
Plainfield police arrested the 20-year-old on April 25 after he crashed into a utility pole in the 2600 block of South State Road 267. During the investigation of the collision, Hendricks County Deputy Fred Fislar came into contact with live power lines.
Minutes later, someone driving by used Fislar's police radio to contact dispatchers to report that an officer was down.
According to court documents, the downed power line seriously burned Gomez and Fislar was trying to rescue him when he came into contact with the wires.
Medics took Fislar to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition, but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The Hendricks County Sheriff's Office hired Fislar in 2021, serving in the enforcement division for more than two years. A graduate of Cloverdale High School, Fislar was part of the 226th Basic Class of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. He also served in the United States Marine Corps.
Fislar is survived by his wife, Maddy, and two young children.
