WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s chief legal officer, Steven R. Schultz, found himself in the Tippecanoe County Jail on Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving.
West Lafayette police stopped Schultz at Pierce and State streets about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to West Lafayette police.
Schultz pulled out in front of a patrol officer northbound on Pierce Street, police said.
Steve Schultz
When he was stopped, Schultz showed signs of impairment such as poor dexterity and slurred speech, according to police. Schultz also appeared to have unsteady balance while doing field sobriety tests.
Schultz, 59, was booked into the jail about 5:12 a.m. Wednesday on suspicion of drunk driving, according to jail book-in records. Jail records say he was booked on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .15 or more; under Indiana law, .08 is considered intoxicated.
There is a nine-hour hold on Schultz before he can be released, Tippecanoe County Jail Commander Capt. Tom Lehman said. That means Schultz should be able to post bond about 2:12 p.m. Wednesday.
Judges set the amount of time that a person suspected of drunk driving must stay in jail before posting bond, and the judges also set the bond amount, Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said.
“The Purdue Board of Trustees and executive leadership are aware of the incident involving General Counsel Steve Schultz who was arrested Dec. 11 on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated,” Purdue University spokesman Trevor Peters said in a written statement from the university. “Purdue will address the matter pursuant to our applicable personnel policies.”
Schultz, senior vice president and legal counsel, “advises the trustees, the president and senior administrators on issues of law, governance and risk management and oversees and directs the representation of the university in all legal matters,” according to his Purdue bio. “Since joining the university in early 2013, Steve has developed and led Purdue’s first internal legal operation in its nearly 150-year history.”
Schultz also served as then-Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ first chief counsel, before both joined Purdue in 2013, Daniels as Purdue’s president.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue’s chief legal officer arrested on suspicion of drunk driving
