ST. JOHN | Merrillville Town Manager Tim Brown was charged with drunken driving Wednesday night in St. John.

Brown was driving a four-door silver Chevrolet bearing municipal plates. The car is registered to the town of Merrillville, Police Chief Fred Frego said.

"It was a stupid thing to do," Brown said Thursday morning.

The officers acted professionally and were doing their job when they stopped him, Brown said.

Brown, of Cedar Lake, was stopped at 9:58 p.m. Wednesday after a St. John lieutenant observed him make an illegal left turn from Patterson Street onto eastbound 93rd Avenue, Frego said.

The officer smelled alcohol and asked Brown whether he had been drinking. Brown replied, "I've had a few drinks," according to a police report.

Brown submitted to a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test. The officer felt he had probable cause to bring Brown to the police station, Frego said.

A breath analysis at the station showed Brown's blood-alcohol concentration at 0.1, Frego said. In Indiana, a person is considered intoxicated with a BAC of 0.08.

Brown was charged with operating while intoxicated and cited for improper turning at an intersection. He was released on a personal recognizance bond. His car was towed, according to a police report.

During the investigation, Brown was "cooperative and friendly," the police report said.

St. John has charged 126 people with drunken driving from the beginning of the year through the end of August, Frego said.

"He's just one of 126," Frego said. "It doesn't come in to play who you are. That doesn't matter."