LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police have arrested the president of Jeffersonville's city council for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Indiana State Police said Matt Owen was taken into custody at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday in Jeffersonville after he was caught driving 44 miles per hour in an area with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour.Â
Police said Owen failed field sobriety tests and recorded a blood-alcohol level of .154, nearly twice the legal limit.
At the time, officials said he was driving a vehicle registered to the Utica Firefighters Association. Owen works with that department and is a captain with New Chapel Fire Department.
"New Chapel EMS is a not-for-profit public corporation that operated like any other corporation," Jeffersonville attorney Larry Wilder said. "That was a vehicle that he, as part of his compensation package, was given to operate and drive."Â
Wilder is representing Owen and got the call early Tuesday morning.
"He's very, very upset at the situation and circumstances that he found himself in," Wilder said.
Owen has served on the Jeffersonville City Council since 2012.
"I am embarrassed by the events of last night and I understand that as an elected official, I am held to a higher standard by the community and myself," Owen said in a statement released through Wilder. "The events of last night are not indicative of my character or normal behavior. I apologize to my family, my colleagues and the citizens of Jeffersonville."
Scottie Maples, vice president of the Jeffersonville City Council, said council members had not received all the details yet, "and we, as a whole, feel it would be inappropriate to comment at this time."
According to prosecutors, Owen has been released from jail. Wilder expects Owen to be in court for his initial hearing sometime next month.
Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore also issued a statement, saying only that, "I have spoken with Matt. He regrets his actions and realizes he made a poor decision."
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