Michigan City Police Stonewall Hoosier Enquirer’s APRA Request on Reporter’s Arrest and Body Camera Failure

Michigan City Police Department

By the Hoosier Enquirer Editorial Team: June 7, 2025

The Michigan City Police Department is obstructing transparency by ignoring an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request from the Hoosier Enquirer seeking answers about the arrest of our reporter, Johannes Poulard, a Michiana Shores resident and former Republican candidate for Indiana State Senate District 4. Arrested in March for operating while intoxicated (OWI), Poulard registered a 0.00% blood alcohol content (BAC) on a breathalyzer test. Yet, the police department has refused to release the blood test results or explain why the arresting officer’s body camera reportedly “died” before the blood sample was collected.

The Hoosier Enquirer’s APRA request specifically demanded details on the blood test and the body camera failure, which the hospital administering the test flagged as suspicious after reviewing the police report. The hospital’s legal department intervened, raising concerns about the integrity of the evidence. By stonewalling our request, the Michigan City Police Department is violating Indiana’s public records law and fueling suspicions of misconduct.

This lack of accountability contrasts sharply with the case of State Senator Mike Bohacek, also of Michiana Shores, representing District 8. According to the Indy Reporter, Bohacek was stopped on January 24, 2025, after a citizen reported him drinking from an open container and stumbling out of his vehicle at a Michigan City Panda Express. Pulled over near Swan Lake Cemetery on U.S. 20, Bohacek refused a breathalyzer, and a hospital blood test showed a BAC of 0.28%—over three times Indiana’s legal limit of 0.08%. Charges were delayed due to legislative immunity, only recently being filed.

The disparity exposes a two-tiered justice system. While Bohacek’s case eventually progressed, Poulard—a journalist with a clean breathalyzer—faces a wall of silence from police. Why did the body camera fail at a critical moment? Why are the blood test results being withheld? The Michigan City Police Department’s refusal to answer suggests a deliberate attempt to obscure the truth.

In response, the Hoosier Enquirer is filing a formal complaint with Indiana’s Public Access Counselor, alleging that the police department’s non-compliance with our APRA request violates state law. We demand transparency about the body camera failure and the blood test results, which are critical to understanding whether Poulard’s arrest was mishandled. No Hoosier—whether a reporter, a former candidate, or a senator—should face selective enforcement or be shielded by privilege.

The Hoosier Enquirer will not relent in our pursuit of the truth. Michigan City deserves a police department that upholds accountability, not one that hides behind unexplained “technical failures.” We will keep our readers updated as we press for answers through the Public Access Counselor and beyond.

Follow the Hoosier Enquirer at hoosierenquirer.com for the latest on this developing story.