Full video of Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry’s OWI arrest in October 2022
By: Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry announced Friday morning that police bodycam video of his October 2022 arrest for OWI would be released after previously refusing to do so.
The mayor made that announcement during a Friday morning press conference.
“I am not better than any other citizen,” said the mayor, who also indicated he was embarrassed by the video footage.
Shortly after Henry’s statement, the video was released to media outlets.
Multiple media outlets, including WANE 15, had requested the release of the video captured by Fort Wayne police officers after they responded to a crash on Old Mill Road involving a car driven by Henry and another vehicle. A chemical test found Henry’s blood-alcohol-content was .152%, according to a probable cause affidavit, and he was arrested on two misdemeanor charges of operating while intoxicated.
A plea agreement was reached in early November which required Henry to pay $3,166 in restitution as well as a $25 fine and nearly $800 in court costs and filing fees. The plea agreement also called for Henry to not drink and submit to random alcohol or drug tests for 365 days.
City of Fort Wayne officials, however, have previously refused requests to release the arrest video.
In early December, Indiana Public Access Counselor Luke Britt said in a report he believes the City of Fort Wayne violated the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) by failing to disclose investigatory records and police footage from Henry’s arrest.
APRA is a state law that says records held by government agencies are “presumed to be
accessible for inspection or copying by any member of the public unless exempted by law.”
In his report, Britt says unless Fort Wayne provides a “credible and justifiable reason for exercising discretion, it should release records.”