Though the Bloomington Police Department prepared for the worst on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday was quiet, BPD Lt. Robert Skelton said.
East Kirkwood Avenue was relatively empty around 9 p.m. Saturday, aside from noise filtering down from a few bars and a smattering of emerald-clad party-goers.
Skelton speculated the cold weather and IU’s spring break may have contributed to the quiet night.
The same went for the previous week. As IU’s students cleared off campus for spring break, IU Police Department Capt. Craig Munroe said the department had a blessed week.
A blessed week — except for the drunken driver who crashed a Ford F-150 into the Sample Gates on Thursday.
IUPD officers estimated the damage to the driver’s truck and University property could be up to $25,000.
David Aldridge, 53, was driving with a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash, Munroe said. He was charged with operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
Edson Sample, the man who donated the money for the Sample Gates, declined to comment on the crash, saying he would prefer to leave all comment to University spokespersons.
IU spokesperson Chuck Carney said plans to repair the gates are underway, but there is no timeline for completion yet.
Carney said most of the damage appears to be to University property surrounding the gates — a stone flower planter, a bench, a tree and a handrail — not the gates themselves.
There were a total of 123 arrests in Monroe County over IU’s spring break, including Aldridge’s.
The highest number of arrests in one day was 22, and the lowest was eight. The day with the most arrests was Wednesday, March 14.
These numbers are slightly higher than those over IU’s winter break, when the most arrests in one day was 20 and lowest was four.
Thirteen arrests over break were for the possession of drugs or drug-related items, seven were for operating while intoxicated and four were for public intoxication.
There was one robbery-related arrest, four arrests for theft and seven for domestic battery.
