A Lake Station man faces two felony charges and a misdemeanor related to alleged drunken driving after his teen daughter, a passenger in the car, texted her mom to say he was drunk and she and her sister were afraid, police said.
Portage police arrested Marcos Vasquez, 49, shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday on Indiana 51 just north of U.S. 6 in Hobart. Police were first notified about Vasquez when he as at Wal-Mart, 6087 U.S. 6 and, through the daughter’s texts to her mother, were able to track his location as he drove west.
Vasquez allegedly admitted to police that he knew he made a mistake by drinking and driving, according to a police report.
The girls told police they and their mother, who is divorced from Vasquez, met at bowling alley before the girls left the facility with Vasquez. The girls told police they went with their dad back to his Lake Station residence where they allegedly saw him drinking beer before they went to the Portage Wal-Mart. The girls told police he was being verbally abusive and one daughter said she was afraid of him, the police report said.
One of the girls also gave police an open beer can Vasquez allegedly had in his car, and police reportedly found an open bottle of peppermint schnapps in the car, the report said.
Police transported Vasquez to Porter County Jail. He is charged with two felony counts of driving while intoxicated and endangering a passenger younger than age 18, and a misdemeanor count of refusal.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
