Excise Officers Arrest 27, Cite 14 in Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana State Excise Police officers arrested 27 people and cited 14 others in Terre Haute Friday night.

Excise officers arrested 17 minors for illegal possession or consumption or alcohol, including two less than 18 years old. Nine adults were arrested for furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Officers also cited two people for driving while suspended, two others for open container violations and ten others on a variety of traffic violations.

In one vehicle stop, a Laurel, Ind., woman was arrested for operating while intoxicated after an officer observed four passengers in the backseat of her Toyota Prius without seat belts. Officers saw two cups of draft beer and an open can of Busch Light beer in the backseat. After the driver was arrested for operating while intoxicated, excise officers arrested two minors in the car for illegal consumption of alcohol and cited two adults for open container violations.

Indiana State Excise Police officers were working in Terre Haute last night as part of the Intensified College Enforcement, or ICE, initiative. The new program aims to reduce underage access to and use of alcohol at six college campuses: Ball State, Butler, Indiana, Indiana State, Notre Dame and Purdue.

As the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the primary mission of the Indiana State Excise Police is to promote public safety by enforcing Indiana’s Alcoholic Beverage Code. While excise officers have the authority to enforce any state law, they focus primarily on alcohol, tobacco and related laws.

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Release from Indiana State Excise Police