INDIANAPOLIS — State Representative Dan Forestal, the Indianapolis lawmaker who was arrested last year, is pleading guilty and will be sentenced in May.
Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton, who is the special prosecutor in the case, confirmed Tuesday a plea deal had been
reached with a May 12 sentencing date. Eaton declined to disclose the charges Forestal is pleading guilty to.
Following his arrest in Indianapolis last August, Forestal was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement, and impersonation of a public servant.
Forestal was arrested near the intersection of East 21st Street and North Shadeland Avenue. According to a police report, IMPD officers were asked to check on a man impersonating a police officer. The police report said Forestal had to be pulled out of his car by two officers and claimed to be a police officer working a drug case.
Forestal, who is also an Indianapolis firefighter and the nephew of Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal, announced in February that he would not seek re-election to the Indiana House this year. The Democrat has represented an Indianapolis district since 2012.
When announcing his decision not to run again, Forestal said it was time for him to focus on his mental health. "This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life," he said. "Ultimately, I've decided that it's time for me to focus on my health at this time. I hope that we as a society continue to work together to shatter the stigma around mental health issues."
According to a public information officer for the Indianapolis Fire Department, Forestal is currently on sick leave.
