On Tuesday at around 10:24 a.m., Deputies Ken Etchison and Josh Smith responded to the area of Wozniak Road and Surrey Lane regarding a verbal altercation between a motorist and a 27-year-old flagger of a service company performing work in the area. The vehicle left the area following the altercation.
A Flock Safety camera captured an image of the suspect vehicle traveling within the city limits of La Porte. Sergeant L. Scott Boswell located the vehicle in downtown La Porte. A traffic stop was initiated a short time later and the vehicle stopped in the parking lot of McDonald’s on Pine Lake Avenue.
The driver was identified as 51-year-old Philip Q. Hoopingarner. Sergeant Boswell invited Hoopingarner from the vehicle and took him into custody. He determined that Hoopingarner had never been issued a driver’s license, and he was a wanted person by authorities in Lake County, Indiana. Hoopingarner also exhibited indicators of being impaired by alcohol.
Hoopingarner was transported to the La Porte County Jail. He was arrested for the following offenses operating while intoxicated, never receiving a license, failure to appear warrant – hold for Lake County.
Hoopingarner remains housed in the LCJ and is being held without bond for Lake County authorities.