FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The mayor of Indiana's second-largest city has received a suspended one-year jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person.
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry also was ordered Thursday to pay more than $3,000 for a fine, court costs and restitution to the city and to the driver of the car he struck. He's also required to submit to random alcohol and drug testing and to report to an alcohol countermeasures program. The 70-year-old Democrat's driver's license was suspended for 90 days.
Henry and his wife, Cindy, were involved in a crash on Oct. 8, though no injuries were reported.
Henry's blood-alcohol level was 0.152 after he was arrested, court records said. Indiana's legal limit to drive is 0.08.
He had told police he drank "too many glasses of wine at a fundraiser" at a Fort Wayne theater, records show. The mayor was swaying, argumentative and had slurred speech, according to an arrest report.
Hours after his release from the Allen County jail, Henry read a statement to reporters, apologizing "for the poor decision I made to get behind the wheel" after drinking alcohol at the event.
"Like every other resident of the city of Fort Wayne, I will be held accountable for those actions in future legal proceedings," he said. "I respect the legal process. I will adhere to the legal process. And I will accept the consequences."
He tweeted that he was "relieved that no one was hurt in this incident" and said the Fort Wayne Police Department "handled this situation with professionalism and followed all of the correct procedures and protocols."
Henry, a Democrat who was first elected in 2007, has said he plans to run again in 2023. Fort Wayne, population 265,000, is 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
Tom Didier, a Republican who plans to run for mayor, said he has known the Henry family for years.
"These relationships go beyond politics," he said. "I would encourage everyone to pray for them and all those involved in this accident and I hope that no one was seriously harmed."
Henry entered a guilty plea on Oct. 10 to a charge of operating while intoxicated endangering a person.
