Greenfield police officer sentenced in OWI case, other charges pending
The Greenfield police officer, who was convicted last October of bribery and misconduct and currently has a pending felony charge for promoting prostitution, was sentenced Wednesday on a separate charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.
Lt. Terry Austin was arrested in August after McCordsville police said one of their department squad cars was nearly sideswiped by a motorcycle Austin was driving. Austin registered a blood-alcohol reading of 0.10, police said. In Indiana, a motorist with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.08 or greater is considered as having driven while drunk.
According to court documents, Austin pleaded guilty to the OWI charge and was fined $768. His driver's license was also suspended for 90 days, and he'll be on probation for the next year.
Austin was suspended from the Greenfield Police Department after an investigation into an incident that occurred in February 2014 where Austin offered fellow officers a $200 steak dinner to pull over and ticket his ex-wife. He was charged with misconduct and bribery.
The following June, Austin was accused of attempting to pay two women to have sex with him and a friend.
In the case of misconduct and bribery, Austin was found guilty, and was sentenced to one year of home detention as well as nearly $200 in court fees.
His case on the prostitution charge is pending. A jury trial has been set for June 9. But Austin's lawyer, John L. Tompkins, told The Star that both the Greenfield Police Department and Indiana State Police conducted a warrant-less search of Austin's cell phone and read thousands of texts and emails.
"In the prostitution case the trial court excluded all of the evidence that was illegally seized by Greenfield Police and the Indiana State Police," said Tompkins. "It is likely that case will be dismissed shortly."
A request for comment has been sent to both agencies.
Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317.