UNION TOWNSHIP | Police said an intoxicated Lake Station man threatened to snap an officer's neck after he was arrested following a high-speed chase through Wheeler.
Justen Buckley, 27, of Lake Station, faces drunken driving, intimidation, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct charges.
About 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, a Porter County sheriff's officer clocking vehicles on Ind. 130 near County Road 600 West spotted a westbound pickup truck traveling at 82 mph in a 35 mph zone.
The officer said he immediately activated his lights and siren and began following the westbound truck, which was being driven almost completely in the eastbound lane.
The officer said Buckley stopped just west of County Road 625 West, and when the officer got out of his cruiser, Buckley sped off, eventually slamming on his brakes about a half-mile west.
Buckley reportedly told the officer he was headed home from a Valparaiso bar and didn't think he was speeding.
The officer said Buckley failed a series of field sobriety tests and was found with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the 0.08 legal limit during a breath test.
He was taken to Porter hospital in Valparaiso for a court-ordered chemical test.
Officers said as they escorted him to the emergency room for a blood test, Buckley began screaming obscenities and said he would "mess up" one of the officers.
Police said it ultimately took three officers and five nurses to strap the man to a gurney, where Buckley reportedly told the arresting officer, "You better watch your back on the streets because I'm going to break your (expletive) neck."
Buckley was arrested and taken to Porter County Jail.
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