Howard County – This morning, at approximately 12:51 a.m., a vehicle slide off resulted in the arrest of a Kokomo woman for operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering, operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher, and neglect of a dependent.
This morning, Indiana State Trooper Matt Moon and officers from the Howard County Sheriff’s Department responded to a residence, on Howard County Road 500 East, north of Kokomo, on a reported possible intoxicated driver. When officers arrived, an off duty Tipton County Sheriff’s Deputy had Tabitha Mitkus, 30, Kokomo, IN in custody.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Mitkus was allegedly driving a 2015 Dodge Charger on County Road 500 East. For an undetermined reason, the Charger traveled off the east side of the road and became stuck. Mitkus purportedly went up to a house seeking assistance. An off duty Tipton County Sheriff’s deputy happen to live at the residence where Mitkus was seeking help with her stuck vehicle.
The deputy noticed signs of possible impairment and took Mitkus into custody when she tried to return to the Charger and leave the scene. Further investigation, by Trooper Moon, revealed that Mitkus had a BAC of .198 which is over the .08 BAC limit in which a driver is considered intoxicated in Indiana.
During the investigation, Moon also discovered that Mitkus had left her 10-year-old daughter, unsupervised, at her Kokomo home. Howard County deputies retrieved the child who was placed into the care of the Howard County Division of the Indiana Department of Child Services. Mitkus was incarcerated in the Howard County Jail.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.