LESLIE HIPSHER
WABASH CO. – An incident in Kentucky during the last weekend in August has resulted in a bit of embarrassment for a Mt. Carmel entity, but apparently the situation will remain business as usual for the group – The Wabash County Chamber of Commerce.
Located in Mt. Carmel, the Chamber is a county-wide effort (because Wabash County is so small). And it was a county-wide incident of embarrassment, therefore, when their executive director, Lesley Hipsher, was stopped in the Henderson, Kentucky area on August 27, and cited with a DUI.
Trooper Corey King of Kentucky State Police Post 16 advised that Hipsher’s arrest on that evening (shortly before 11:30 p.m.) was one of many that day.
“We probably have around 10 DUI stops a day in the District,” King said. “So there was nothing unusual about this one (Hipsher’s).”
King said that he didn’t have specifically which trooper it was who effected the stop, which occurred on U.S. 41 at Indiana Highway 136.
King noted that he didn’t know, by looking at available information, what prompted the stop.
“It could be something as little as a swerve or as obvious as a tail light out,” he said. “But then that gives justification to the stop, and if the trooper detects that there might be alcohol involved, he’ll list it as a DUI and that’s where it goes.”
In the case of the 34-year-old Hipsher, where it went was to the county jail, where she was booked and held until she was able to post bond.
No one at KSP District 16, nor at the Henderson County Courthouse, was able to give details about the steps Hipsher took to be released, including whether someone came to pick her up owing to being too intoxicated to drive herself, or whether she was allowed to sober up before getting on her way.
King did say that it appeared she was alone in her vehicle.
“If there had been someone else in the vehicle, we’d have run that person too,” he explained, “and there’s no indication of that. Also, if there had been children with her, she’d have been charged with something more, such as Aggravated DUI or Endangering the Life or Safety of a Child.”
As it was, the official charge according to the courthouse was Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs with a BAC of over .08.
No one had the specifics on whether or not Hipsher blew into a portable BAC; but the courthouse personnel did explain that it was an OUI-Alcohol, not OUI-Drugs; otherwise, that would have been specified in the charging documents.
Hipsher has no criminal history in any jurisdiction that Disclosure has been able to ascertain.
However, because of the stinging-ness of the situation, until Disclosure brought it to the public’s attention on August 31, no other media touched the story.
At that time, apparently, such a row developed over the very FACT that it was being covered (as if DUIs should just be ignored) that other media in the area then deferred to the Chamber.
Chamber President Brittany Campagna then issued a statement on September 1 to the effect that the chamber was “handling the personnel matter at the board level.”
What they had to “handle” remained unsaid, but as of press time (Sept. 18), Hipsher is apparently still in her position as ED.
Henderson County Circuit Clerk’s personnel confirmed that Hipsher’s arraignment date is Sept. 26 at 1:30 p.m.