I-65 Error: Chicago driver calls 911 on self after 36-mile wrong-way trip

Meisha Thomas, 42, of Chicago, drove roughly 36 miles in the wrong direction on Interstate 65 before calling 911 to report her own location. Indiana State Police identified the incident as a felony battery case following her arrest in Jasper County.

The sequence began just after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, when dispatchers received a call from a woman describing erratic driving conditions. Officers tracked her vehicle as it moved southbound near the Lowell exit in southern Lake County. The caller provided inconsistent information while showing clear signs of intoxication to the 911 operators.

A trooper located the vehicle in Jasper County, where it was traveling between 30 and 50 mph in a zone with a 70 mph speed limit. The car swerved across lanes and forced other motorists to brake sharply to avoid collisions. Thomas initially ignored the officer’s lights and sirens before pulling into the left lane to stop.

During the traffic stop, the officer observed slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and poor coordination. Thomas stated she was returning to Chicago from a casino in Gary, though records showed she had been traveling against the flow of traffic for a substantial distance. She was too impaired to perform field sobriety tests and refused the standard chemical screening required by Indiana’s implied consent law.

Police secured a search warrant to draw blood at a local hospital for further analysis. While the officer secured Thomas in a seatbelt, she made repeated sexual comments and attempts to kiss the trooper. She did not stop despite multiple verbal warnings, leading to an additional charge for her conduct toward the officer.

Thomas faces one felony charge for battery against a public safety official. She also faces three misdemeanor counts: operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with reckless driving. She was processed and held at the Jasper County Jail.

State police have not disclosed whether bail was set or the specific date for her next court appearance. The charges reflect the dual nature of the incident: the dangerous driving behavior on the interstate and the physical contact with the responding officer.