A Burlington man was arrested Tuesday after police said he drove his truck into the courtyard of a local bar and injured several people.
Ryan W. Cahill, 39, faces seven charges related to his alleged role in the accident, including Level 6 felonies of leaving the scene of an accident causing moderate or serious bodily injury; three misdemeanor counts of criminal recklessness; and a misdemeanor charge each of criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily injury, according to online court records.
His charges stem from an incident that occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Monday at the Elbow Room, 1004 N. Washington St., according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
When officers arrived at the scene, they reportedly found a black 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 that had struck a metal fence and crashed onto the roof of the bar, according to court documents.
Investigators say the impact of the collision also injured three women who were sitting on the patio at the time.
One of the women involved in the incident reportedly suffered a large bruise and a small laceration on the side of her face, according to the affidavit, while another suffered a broken leg and pain in her back and rib cage.
After the collision, witnesses said the truck driver — later identified as Cahill by identification inside the vehicle — fled the scene, court records state.
Further investigation into the incident led police to interview several witnesses at the scene, including a bartender at the Elbow Room, who told investigators that Cahill and another man came to the bar at about 9:30 a.m. Monday and began drinking alcohol, she said. Affidavit.
The bartender added that at some point, he “prevented” Cahill and the other man from drinking more alcoholic beverages and also offered to order a taxi, according to court records, though Cahill declined the offer and was still elbow-deep. room when the waiter finished his shift at 2:30 p.m
That was just minutes before the alleged incident occurred, according to court documents.
Another witness at the scene told investigators he was inside the bar when the collision occurred and reportedly ran outside when he learned of the accident.
At that time, according to that witness, Cahill and another man allegedly got into a silver two-door car and drove away from the area.
Cahill is being held in the Howard County Jail on $10,000 cash bail, with no 10% bail, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday before a Howard County judge.
According to online court records, this is the second set of charges against Cahill related to operating while intoxicated in the past two years.
In September 2021, he was sentenced to one year in the Indiana Department of Corrections, all suspended, after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or greater.
Under the plea deal in that case, a Level 4 felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident was later dismissed, and court officials say Cahill’s license was also revoked for 90 days.
