By MICHAELA SPRINGER & KYLA RUSSELL
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Formal charges have been filed against the Cicero Police Department captain who crashed his police SUV while driving drunk – and against two people who helped try and cover it up.
Capt. Edwin Hodson was placed on administrative leave immediately after the incident. It was unclear if he would return to the position anytime soon.
“This is an example of the system working the way that it should … there was a thorough investigation. The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office asked for a special prosecutor promptly upon that investigation, and they worked a thorough case,” Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna, selected as the special prosecutor for the case, said. “Here we are charging that officer to hold him accountable, just like you would anyone else.”
Online court records show Ed Hodson, his wife Lora, and father-in-law Charles Johnston all face misdemeanor charges for the Christmas night crash that happened around 7:17 p.m. in the 9900 block of East 206th Street in Noblesville.
Probable cause affidavits shared with News 8 say Hamilton County deputies responded to the scene and found a marked Cicero police SUV on the side of the road, with its hazard lights on and visible damage to the vehicle. They also noted tire tracks in the mud, and a damaged AT&T cable box.
Ed Hodson’s wife, Lora, was in the SUV when they arrived. She told the deputies she’d been driving her husband’s police vehicle because he’d been drinking.
At some point, Lora Hodson says they got in an argument, and she crashed the car. Ed Hodson then left and was found walking along East 206th Street.
After reviewing interior camera footage from the police vehicle and speaking with the involved parties in, including a crash witness, investigators developed a timeline.
“There was a conversation between Edwin Hodson, and his wife, sort of deciding how Mr. Hodson would leave that scene of that accident, and that Lora Hudson, would … claim that she was operating the vehicle to law enforcement in her way to alleviate that responsibility for Mr. Hodson, but fortunately that evidence exists, and we were able to bring charges in this case,” Hanna said.
The police captain was the only passenger during the crash, his wife nowhere to be seen.
Court documents say the camera caught Ed Hodson weaving and moving through lanes erratically before running off the road and hitting a rock and the cable box. The SUV reentered the road but became undrivable.
Less than a minute after the crash, Lora Hodson arrived at the scene. Through the SUV camera audio, she’s heard saying “If the cops end up here, we’re in trouble.”
The audio also captured Lora Hodson calling her father, Charles Johnston, asking for him and his wife Denise to come get them. She also told her husband he shouldn’t have been driving: “‘You’ve been drinking, and you’re driving.’”
Soon after, Charles and Denise Johnston arrive. Audio recordings catch Lora Hodson asking her father to make her husband get out of the driver’s seat.
Charles Johnston then speaks, demanding Ed Hodson gets out of the SUV. “This is not an option,” he states, followed by an expletive.
At some point, Lora Hodson tries to make Ed Hodson get in the passenger’s seat. They exchange words, and Ed Hodson leaves, walking west on 206th Street.
A witness living in a home about 200 feet from the crash told deputies he was washing his dishes when he saw the crash through his window. He says he was standing outside his home watching when Ed Hodson left the scene.
Denise Johnston later told investigators she picked up the captain and dropped him off at home. Charles Johnston said he brought his daughter home, but didn’t know if Ed Hodson was there.
Investigators learned that he was home, but didn’t contact police until three hours later. When approached by detectives, Ed Hodson appeared unsteady, slurred his words, and spoke repetitively, court documents say.
With Capt. Hodson leaving the scene, investigators say he violated two obligations under Indiana Code regarding vehicle accidents: he failed to report the damaged property to the owner, and he also left the scene of the crash.
“I have all the respect in the world for law enforcement our community, but with great power comes great responsibility, and I think that law enforcement are held to an even higher standard, because those are who we entrust in our communities to enforce our laws,” Hanna said.
“The town is cooperating and has cooperated with the Indiana State Police and the Hamilton County Prosecutors Office (and will continue to do so),” a member of the Cicero Town Council said. “Officer Hodson remains on administrative leave and his employment status will be addressed separate from the criminal matter.”
Charges were filed against the Hodsons and Charles Johnston on Wednesday.
- Edwin A. Hodson, 38, Cicero: Operating a vehicle while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor); Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering a person (Class A misdemeanor); Leaving the scene of an accident (Class B misdemeanor)
- Lora L. Hodson, 39, Cicero: False informing (Class B misdemeanor); Aiding, inducing or causing a leaving the scene of an accident (Class B misdemeanor)
- Charles S. Johnston, 65, Noblesville: Aiding, Inducing or Causing a Leaving the Scene of an Accident (Class B misdemeanor)
A special prosecutor out of Madison County has been assigned to the case, the Hamilton County prosecutor confirmed to News 8’s Kyla Russell.
As of Thursday, no arrests have been made. It was unclear if Denise Johnston would face any charges.
A court hearing is set for Feb. 13.
News 8 has reached out to the Cicero Police Department for comment.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/crime-watch-8/cicero-police-captain-charged-in-drunk-driving-cover-up.