04062016 - News Article - Lake County union official faces alcohol charge

Lake County union official faces alcohol charge
NWI Times
Apr 6, 2016
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/crime-and-court/lake-county-union-official-faces-alcohol-charge/article_34b4419f-b2b1-5f07-a6a0-dc4f28a096a9.html

HAMMOND — A Lake County union official has been charged with drunken driving.

The Lake County prosecutor's office has named Randolph L. "Randy" Palmateer, 37, of Crown Point, in a misdemeanor count alleging he was operating his 2013 Ford Explorer while intoxicated and operating it in a way that endangers a person.

Palmateer, who is business manager for the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council and serves on numerous public boards, didn't return calls seeking comment.

Hammond police allege in a probable cause affidavit filed in court that officers were conducting a sobriety checkpoint as part of their St. Patrick’s Day/March Madness traffic safety blitz 9:25 p.m. March 25 in the 7200 block of Kennedy Avenue.

Officer T. Laurinec stated Palmateer's car entered the checkpoint "in an unsafe manner." She said she smelled alcohol on Palmateer's breath and observed Palmateer's eyes to appear watery. The officer said she saw an unopened can of beer in the car's center console.

She said Palmateer failed two out of three field sobriety tests and took a portable roadside breath test, which measured his blood alcohol content at 0.155, which is almost twice the legal limit of 0.08. He refused to take a second breath test at the police station.

Court records indicate he posted bond. Palmateer's driver's license appears to be attached to the police report. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles reports Palmateer's driving status is currently normal.

The case is pending before Hammond City Judge Jeffrey A. Harkin and is set for arraignment April 26. No attorney is listed as representing Palmateer in court records.

It is Palmateer's second alcohol-related arrest within five years.

He was charged in 2011 with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person in Crown Point. The prosecutor dismissed that count after he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

The Lake County Board of Commissioners appointed Palmateer in 2013 to the board of directors of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, which funnels millions of dollars in casino and state toll road fees annually into regional infrastructure projects such as the Gary/Chicago International Airport and recreational facilities on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Palmateer also serves on the Lake County Redevelopment Board, the Crown Point City Public Works Board as well as Lake Area United Way, South Shore Promotions, Challenger Learning Center at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, and the Construction Advisory Board of Ivy Tech, according to the RDA's website.