A Joliet, Illinois man is facing multiple criminal and traffic charges following a rollover crash involving a commercial semi-truck early Saturday morning on Interstate 94 in Porter County.
According to court records, officers were dispatched around 1:42 a.m. on January 3, 2026, to a rollover semi crash at the 30.4-mile marker on eastbound I-94. Porter Police officers arrived first and identified the driver as 24-year-old Jose Luis Garcia. Indiana State Police troopers later arrived and took over the investigation.
Court documents state Garcia was yelling and causing a disturbance when officers initially made contact. After being placed inside an ambulance, troopers reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. Officers also observed bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred and mumbled speech, and difficulty maintaining balance.
Garcia told officers he was the sole occupant of the vehicle and said he had dozed off before leaving the roadway. A portable breath test administered at approximately 2:14 a.m. reportedly showed a blood alcohol content of 0.135 percent. Due to the severity of the crash, standardized field sobriety tests were not conducted.
Investigators noted that while speaking with a trooper, Garcia began repeatedly apologizing to officers, including those he had previously yelled at during the initial contact.
Court records indicate Garcia refused Indiana’s implied consent chemical test, prompting officers to obtain a search warrant for a blood draw. The blood draw was later completed at a Chesterton hospital. After being medically cleared, Garcia was transported to the Porter County Jail.
Charges filed on January 6, 2026, include:
-
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person – Class A misdemeanor
-
Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated – Class C misdemeanor
-
Unsafe Lane Movement – Infraction
-
No Operator’s License in Possession – Infraction
-
Operating a Commercial Vehicle Without a CDL – Infraction
-
Operating With Expired Plates – Infraction
-
Operating a Motor Vehicle With a Fictitious Plate – Infraction
-
Failure to Display or Obtain Motor Fuel Tax Emblem or Permit – Infraction
-
Multiple Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation violations – Infractions
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.