Drunk driver takes night ride through campus

At about 3:30 a.m. Friday, a man drove a 2004 Nissan Murano onto IU’s campus and around buildings near Franklin Hall, including campus sidewalks.

Lt. Craig Munroe of the IU Police Department said police do not currently know how 21-year-old Drew Alan Mendez managed to get onto campus, but they have an idea of the route he took.

“We know he was at the southeast corner of Franklin Hall,” Munroe said. “How he got there, I don’t know.”

Reports say Mendez drove between Franklin Hall and the Student Building before drawing police attention and exiting out the Sample Gates.

He was pulled over and arrested shortly after on Indiana Avenue, where it was discovered that his blood alcohol content was more than two times the legal limit of .08 percent.

Mendez was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident, which was the act of driving on school property.

Munroe said damage estimates to both Mendez’s vehicle and the campus range between $10,000 and $25,000.

“We try to provide an estimate,” Munroe said. “I know his car was pretty banged up.”

Mendez is not currently in custody, and sources at the Monroe County Jail were unable to disclose how long he was held.

Follow reporter Amanda Marino on Twitter @amandanmarino.