Indiana lawmaker facing felony charge drops reelection bid

INDIANAPOLIS (AP/WISH) — A state legislator from Indianapolis facing charges of threatening police officers who stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving is dropping his reelection bid.

Democratic Rep. Dan Forestal said in a statement Tuesday the decision was one of the hardest in his life but that he needed to focus on his mental health rather than continue in the legislative seat he first won in 2012.

Forestal was arrested in August after police were called about a man claiming he was a police officer.

According to court documents, Forestal had been searching for places with “people selling drugs” and peddling “party favors,” then resisted police officers who attempted to force him out of his video and refused a field sobriety test.

His next court hearing is scheduled for March 10.