Yes. Work at a prison. Not be in prison. Work at a prison.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

From the Courier-Journal:

The state has hired former legislator Dennie Oxley Jr. of English to be a program director at the Branchville Correctional Facility in Perry County.

Oxley, a former teacher and school administrator, is set to begin Feb. 8 and will be responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of programs and projects “to help meet strategic goals of reducing recidivism and preparing offenders for re-entry,” said Doug Garrison, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Correction.

Oxley, who will earn $52,000 annually, will also be responsible for helping to assist the medium-security prison in its accreditation process. Branchville has about 1,300 inmates.

Oxley did not return a call Friday seeking comment about the new position.

Oxley served in the Indiana House for 10 years, eventually moving up to majority whip, but did not seek re-election in 2008 after Democrats picked him to be the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor. He ran with gubernatorial nominee Jill Long Thompson but the pair lost to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman.

Later, Oxley ran into trouble with the law. Last month, he pleaded guilty to a charge of impersonating a public servant and was sentenced to three months probation in Crawford County.

That charge stemmed from an incident last summer in which police say he tried to avoid arrest on a public intoxication charge by pretending he was still a member of the General Assembly. The Indiana Constitution generally makes lawmakers immune from prosecution while the General Assembly is in session.

Police said they found Oxley walking away from a woman lying in the parking lot of a downtown Indianapolis gas station. The woman was a former Indiana House intern.

Earlier last year, Oxley was charged with drunken driving in connection with a minor traffic accident in Crawford County.

Corrections Commissioner Edwin Buss inquired about Oxley’s record before the hire but “didn’t believe it should disqualify him from state service,” Garrison said.

Because of a statewide hiring freeze, Oxley’s appointment also had to be approved by the State Strategic Hiring Committee. The committee determines whether positions meet requirements to be exempted from the freeze.

You can read a rehash of the Oxley saga here.

As was reported this morning, former State Rep (but in his drunken mind a current state rep) and former LG candidate Dennie Oxley has turned himself in.

Via the Indy Star:

A deputy cuffed a former state legislator this morning in a courtroom after he surrendered on a warrant to face charges arising from a drunken incident.

Dennie Oxley II will be held today until he posts a $500 cash bond on charges of impersonation of a public servant and public intoxication. Prosecutors filed the charges Wednesday on accusations that a drunken Oxley, 38, avoided arrest early Friday at a Downtown Indianapolis gas station by claiming to be a legislator working in the special session, a status that would give him limited immunity under the Indiana Constitution.

Oxley, who lives in English, Ind., turned himself in at the City-County Building about 8 a.m. at the Failure to Appear office, despite an earlier arrangement with prosecutors to surrender Wednesday at the Arrestee Processing Center.

Rick Kammen, Oxley’s attorney, told Marion Superior Court Pro-Tem Judge Steve Allen during a hearing this morning that he took responsibility for miscommunication Wednesday.

Kammen changed the plan after learning that media outlets were waiting for Oxley outside the APC, he said, and “my goal was to avoid unnecessary publicity.”

Allen set the $500 bond, then ordered that Oxley be taken into custody at the request of David Wyser, the prosecutor’s chief trial deputy, who said Oxley shouldn’t receive any special treatment.

But Allen denied Wyser’s request that Oxley be sent to jail without bond until a special prosecutor handling Oxley’s pending drunken driving case in Crawford County could decide whether to seek a revocation of his bond there. Those charges stem from an incident in February.

When Indianapolis police arrived at the Citgo station about 1 a.m. Friday, Oxley was walking away, carrying a pair of high-heeled shoes that belonged to a 21-year-old woman who had been working in the legislative session. She lay facedown on the ground at the station, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police released Oxley to the custody of a friend amid the confusion about his legislative status. The Democrat left his Indiana House seat last year to run for lieutenant governor on Jill Long Thompson’s losing ticket.

“There are two sides to every story,” Kammen said after the court hearing, but he declined to elaborate on his client’s account. “The public will definitely see that there is more than what has been reported.”

The story of Dennie Oxley, one time middling State Rep who recently was a “special advisor to Pat “the Hair” Bauer continues to ge worse.  According to Frugal Hoosiers, Oxley is currently on the lam, after an warrant was issued for his arrest this afternoon.  This was after Oxley had promised to turn himself in by 1:00 today.

But we have been able to get a copy of the police report along with his probable cause affidavit.

(Images are clickable)(Read the rest after the leap)

The saga of Dennie Ray Oxley II is nothing new to readers of this blog, but it continues to unfold in ways both amusing and tragic.

In the wee hours Friday morning, the Democrats’ former lieutenant governor candidate–drunk out of his gourd and his speech slurring–was found in the parking lot of a downtown Indianapolis gas station trying to run away from a passed-out House intern (or former intern?) who was shoeless and face down on the ground.

When approached about the girl–reported to be one Kristin Dowlut, apparently the niece of State Rep. David Niezgodski (D, South Bend)–by the gas station attendant Oxley declared in slurred speech that he “wasn’t going to touch her.”

When police arrived, Oxley tried to hide behind a nearby car.

When police discovered his cunning hiding place, he declared that he was a member of the state legislature–he isn’t–which was currently in special session and that he therefore couldn’t be arrested and had immunity granted by the state constitution. Oxley is currently a staffer for Speaker Pat “The Hair” Bauer.

It was also reported that he was carrying the intern’s shoes and did not know where he was or how he got there.

Officers, who called the incident in, apparently believed that young Oxley was his father (also Dennie Ray Oxley, who won his son’s seat back last November while the son ran for governor). They were instructed not to arrest Oxley on the mistaken belief that he was a legislator.

This is, to put it lightly, not an auspicious stop on the Dennie Ray Oxley II Image Rehabilitation Tour, which began when Oxley was the speaker at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner of the Harrison County Democrats back in April. Since then, the Democrats have moved on (just as of this week) to hunt for a new Secretary of State placeholder; hopefully this turn of events did not drive young Oxley to drink.

Earlier this year, in February, Oxley was arrested for a DUI in Crawford County. His blood alcohol level in that incident was twice the legal limit. It was initially reported that he had a passenger with him, something reflected in the charges. The passenger later disappeared; it was claimed that they were never there in the first place. It has also been rumored that the car Oxley was driving during that incident had state representative plates.

That incident was not the first of Oxley’s run-ins while drinking. Many were rumored to have occurred before and been swept under the rug by the Democrats’ good old boy network. Similarly, this is not the first rumor I have heard about Dennie Oxley having way too much to drink in Indianapolis, nor the first rumor I’ve heard about him cavorting with young House interns.

He doesn’t appear to have learned anything from the February incident, and has now dragged a poor young girl into a tangled web created by his drunken behavior. Over at Blue Indiana, a commenter lamented:

Why is this a surprise to anyone?

This is the way he behaved while in office. Thank God the Dem ticket didn’t win last year, even though I voted for it.

I don’t think the LG gets a police driver now, does (s)he?

He’s a clod and a social misfit. Always was, always will be.

Here are the various stories about second Oxley incident (including video… yes, video). An archive of posts about the Int-Oxley-cated saga follows at the end.

The Courier-Journal:

(Read more after the leap)

Yeah, I told you so.

From the Courier-Journal:

Crawford County Prosecutor Cheryl Hillenburg filed a motion asking to withdraw from the case and for the appointment of a special prosecutor because of ties that she and her family have to Oxley and his family.

Hillenburg’s motion asking for a special prosecutor said she, her husband and her chief deputy “have participated in numerous fund-raising events” for Oxley. The motion also said the prosecutor’s husband, attorney Stanley Pennington, has represented Oxley and his family in a civil capacity.

Oxley is scheduled to appear in Crawford Circuit Court tomorrow. Hillenburg said her withdrawal means Oxley won’t be officially charged until a special prosecutor is appointed but the hearing may go on with Oxley being presented a copy of her motion for a special prosecutor.

Meanwhile, more on the infamous disappearing passenger (or the passenger that wasn’t, or whatever the story is now):

(Read more after the leap)

Two more stories in the Courier-Journal today on Dennie Oxley’s drunken joyride over the weekend.

First:

Former state Rep. Dennie Oxley of English said yesterday that he “made an error in judgment” involving a car crash that resulted in his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Oxley’s blood-alcohol concentration after the incident Friday night was 0.17 percent, more than twice the 0.08 level at which a person is presumed to be intoxicated under Indiana law, according to a report by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

“I take full responsibility. I make no excuses, and I expect no special treatment,” Oxley said in a statement.

The 38-year-old Democrat, who gave up his House seat to run for lieutenant governor last year, expressed relief that no one was injured when his car struck a parked vehicle in Taswell.

“I know that I have let folks down,” he said. “I simply want them to know that I will work every day to earn back their confidence.”

Chief Deputy Andy Beals of the Crawford County sheriff’s department said Oxley, who was traveling with a passenger, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol content of greater than 0.15 percent and driving while intoxicated with endangering a person.

Both charges are Class A misdemeanors.

Oxley, driving a 2007 Chevrolet Impala, struck a parked 1992 Ford Explorer, doing between $10,000 and $25,000 damage to the two vehicles, according to the report.

Oxley is scheduled to appear in Crawford Circuit Court on Thursday on the official charges, which had not been filed late yesterday.

Oxley was released from the county jail and did not need to be hospitalized. The crash report did not give any information on his passenger, and the sheriff’s department refused to release that information.

Where to begin?

I’d like to have a 1992 Explorer that could have $10,000 to $25,000 in damage done to it without being totalled. That must be some Explorer. And if the damage is that bad–on virtually any car–you’re talking not just some fender bender or light impact. You’re generally talking about a vehicle that has been rendered a total loss by a pretty significant encounter with another car (earlier speculation about a sporty luxury import can be dispelled; Oxley wrecked a Chevy Impala). One also has to logically think that the Impala, being a car, probably took even more damage than the Explorer, being an SUV.

I wonder how fast he was driving and if the airbag deployed on his car from the impact.

More importantly, the 0.17 level is over twice the legal limit (a legal limit that Oxley opposed in 1998 but voted to establish in 2001).

Notice the amount of discussion in the aforementioned article (and in prior articles as well, here, here, and here) concerning the passenger.

Well, in its second story, the Courier-Journal says that this passenger, well, was disappeared. Or never existed in the first place. Or something.

(Read more after the leap)

News is still coming in about former state representative and defeated Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Dennie Oxley’s drunk driving escapade back over the weekend.

If this were anyone else in the area (assuming it isn’t swept under the rug, which I guess could still happen even with the press and attention it has gotten), Oxley would likely face charges of reckless driving and public intoxication (misdemeanors), leading to a period on probation and some fines or fees being paid. Those charges could be upgraded depending on circumstance (prior history, minors in the car, et cetera; those don’t seem likely from what I hear). If it gets to a felony level and there is a conviction (or even a plea-down from a felony to a misdemeanor), Oxley would no longer be able to run for office in Indiana.

Oxley’s biggest loss, of course, will probably be in not being able to have Dan Parker hang him out to dry with the other Democratic statewide candidates in November of 2010.

However, Crawford County is a tight-knit community and Oxley is a public figure. Oxley is also a Democrat, as are nearly all elected officials in Crawford County, including (notably) the prosecutor.

For that reason (and others), it is entirely possible that the Oxley case would not be handled by the county prosecutor and county judge if charges are filed and could instead go before a special judge and special prosecutor (in the event of conflicts). If that happens, even a minor case like this might well drag on forever; Indiana could have a new Secretary of State by the time it is resolved.

Once the charges are filed by the prosecutor (assuming they are filed), the police report and associated documents will become public record. I will try to post copies of them when they are available.

In the meantime, in memory of happier days, enjoy these two videos of Dennie Ray II.

(After the leap)

Posted about this already on Saturday.

The Courier-Journal on Sunday had a bit more to say:

INDIANAPOLIS — Dennie Ray Oxley II, a former state representative and last year’s Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, was arrested Friday night in Crawford County on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Oxley, who gave up his legislative seat last year to run for statewide office, was arrested following a vehicle accident, according to a statement from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department.

He has been released from jail and was not treated at a hospital, according to a jailer who would not provide his name. The jailer did not provide any additional information about the accident.

Oxley could face charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol level greater than 0.15 percent, according to the statement. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.

A charge of operating a vehicle while endangering a person is also pending.

Oxley, who lives in English with his wife and two children, did not return phone messages last night.

A former teacher and school administrator, Oxley now works for the Indiana House as an adviser to the Democratic caucus. Last year he ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Democrat Jill Long Thompson.

First of all, how do you work for the House Democratic caucus as an advisor but live in English? Does he commute to work? Drive home every weekend? What?

(Read more after the leap)

From WTHR:

Former state rep. arrested on suspicion of DWI
Updated: Feb 7, 2009 05:32 PM EST

Crawford County – Former Indiana state representative Dennie Oxley was arrested Saturday night following an auto accident.

Oxley, who ran for Lieutenant Governor with Democratic candidate Jill Long Thompson in last November’s election, was arrested for suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He could also face charges for endangering a person.

Oxley represented Indiana’s 73rd District until his father took over.

I have contacted some folks locally who have confirmed report.

No word whether he was driving his expensive luxury import when it happened.

Interestingly, Oxley is about the only name that has been floated by the Democrats to run for Secretary of State (presumably against Charlie White). If this doesn’t get swept under the rug and disappear (it is Crawford County, after all) and charges are filed, then the young Oxley could very well see his chances of running for that office evaporate in so much intoxicated haze.

UPDATE: From what I hear, this is not the first time that young Dennie Ray has been picked up (by a state trooper, no less). That incident, rumor has it, was swept under the rug. We’ll see if this one will be similarly consigned to the memory hole.

By: Brian Sikma

Today the Indiana Democratic Party inserted itself into the ongoing battle over holding Planned Parenthood of Indiana accountable for its misconduct.  Dan Parker, Democrat State Party Chairman, issued a press release in which he tossed out baseless charges against Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Jimtown) in an apparent attempt to discredit the messenger since the message is hard to argue with.  If a legal investigation into Planned Parenthood of Indiana continues to move forward, the organization stands in serious jeopardy of incurring legal sanctions as a result of violations of state law uncovered late last year.  Regardless of the full course of the legal investigation, however, Planned Parenthood has violated the public’s trust and may lose the funding that it receives from the state.

Parker called for the House Ethics Committee to look into the fundraising activities of Rep. Walorski because, according to Parker, a post on Walorski’s blog dated December 26th referred to her efforts to bring to account the actions of Planned Parenthood and requested that supporters contribute to her campaign fund.  State law says that legislators may not actively raise money during the session, and House Ethics Rules say that legislators may not hold fundraising events between Organization Day and the close of session.  According to Parker:

“This is the most blatant attempt to raise money during the prohibited period since the rules were adopted many years ago.”

(Read more below the fold)

From Shella:

Dennie Oxley enjoyed his experience running for Lt. Governor even though he and Jill Long Thompson fared poorly at the ballot box and now Oxley is being mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for Secretary of State in 2010.

Oxley tried to avoid the subject today. He won’t say he is considering a run but won’t rule it out, either. Said Oxley, “I’m not, not considering it.”

Look for others to be more definitive soon.

What “others”, I wonder? (Besides Charlie White, the all-but-declared Republican candidate, of course.)

Last I heard, they couldn’t get a Democrat to run for Secretary of State if they shanghaied them before the mast and whipped them with the cat o’ nine tails until they signed the filing paperwork.

Please Democrats, let it be so.

We want him, we do!

Bring us some more of this:

Even Jill-Bob knows Dennie Ray II got his heiny handed to him by Becky Skillman at the Fair Debate.