Ex-officer pleads guilty but mentally ill after 2016 crash

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — A former northwest Indiana sheriff's officer who authorities say struck another man with his squad car while intoxicated at the 2016 Gary Air Show has pleaded guilty but mentally ill.

Ex-Lake County Lt. Guy Mikulich entered the pleas Monday to charges including leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Mikulich apologized in court. He was sentenced 2½ years, but will serve time under home detention.

Police say Mikulich's unmarked car struck Derrick Dircks of Frankfort, Illinois, on July 10, 2016, along a street following the show, causing serious injuries. Police say Mikulich was stopped about 1½ miles (2.4 kilometers) away.

The Lake County Sheriff's Police Merit Board last year voted to fire Mikulich after finding him guilty of eight disciplinary charges.

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