ELIZABETHTOWN, Ind. – The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) was dispatched to Legal Tender Road on Sunday evening after a report of a single-vehicle traffic accident with no reported injuries. Upon arrival, deputies found an Elizabethtown Volunteer Fire Department pickup truck lying on its side in the driveway of a residence.
The driver, Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Nienaber, 67, of Elizabethtown, was found trapped inside. Other responding fire personnel removed him from the vehicle.
Witnesses say the departmental pickup truck had its lights and sirens activated before it left the roadway and rolled onto its side. At the time of the accident, the E-town assistant fire chief was believed to be responding to a structure fire on S. County Road 750E.
During the accident investigation, alleged evidence of alcohol impairment was detected and according to BCSO, Nienaber appeared to be intoxicated. He was transported to Columbus Regional Health for a blood draw and subsequently arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). He was booked into the Bartholomew County Jail and released after posting a $2,500.00 bond.
The report has been forwarded to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office for further review.
Nienaber-Courtesy-BCSO
