Staff Report

Thomas Floyd Hooper

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was arrested after he allegedly shot a firearm from a vehicle while intoxicated.

Thomas Floyd Hooper, 47, 114 N. Buffalo St. B., Warsaw, is charged with criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony; carrying a handgun without a license, a class A misdemeanor; and operating while intoxicated, a class C misdemeanor.

On Dec. 9, 2020, a Warsaw Police officer received a report of an individual shooting a firearm from a vehicle. The vehicle was reportedly traveling in the area of Country Club Road and Lakeview Drive. The officer went to the area and pulled the suspect vehicle over, identifying the driver as Hooper.

According to court documents, the officer noticed an empty handgun holster on Hooper’s person. Hooper denied firing a handgun from his vehicle and said his firearm was at his residence. He also said he did not have a license to carry a handgun.

The officer then spoke with a man who reported the incident. The man said he was traveling on South Country Club Road when Hooper’s vehicle began driving closely to his vehicle. After being followed for a short time, the man heard a gunshot. He looked at Hooper’s vehicle and saw Hooper pointing a firearm. The man also heard two more gunshots when he contacted law enforcement to report the issue.

While searching Hooper’s vehicle, the officer saw a spent shell casing on the floorboard and a bottle of alcohol in the back seat. He also smelled alcohol emanating from Hooper and saw he had red, watery eyes. A portable breath test was administered and Hooper registered a breath alcohol content of 0.129%.

Upon further search, the officer found a firearm in the vehicle.

Hooper has an initial hearing on this case at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 15, in Kosciusko Superior Court One.