Full Notification

Lake Station, Lake County-Yesterday, Tuesday, June 17th, Indiana State Police Trooper Nedal Nabhan arrested an impaired driver who sped right by Nabhan’s fully marked police car in a construction zone...

At approximately 3:30 p.m., Trooper Nabhan was west bound on I-80 near Ripley Street, when a gray 2010 Chevrolet, driven by Lawrence D. Zinmer, 63 of Highland, drove right past Nabhan’s fully marked police as if he didn’t see it. Nabhan followed the Chevrolet, which was doing 65 miles per hour in a well posted 45 miles per hour construction zone, as it made lanes changes without utilizing its turn signal. After the Chevrolet was stopped; Nabhan saw two bottles of vodka in the front seat.

After making contact with Zinmer, Trooper Nabhan detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage. Zinmer was subsequently arrested and cited for Operating While Intoxicated, Open Container, Unsafe Lane Movement, No License in Possession and Speed in a Construction Zone.

Construction workers were present.


All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Indiana State Police encourage all motorists to drive responsibly and voluntarily comply with Indiana’s traffic laws. Troopers offer these tips to keep all workers and drivers in construction zones safe.

•Watch for orange “Road Construction Ahead” signs and be prepared to react to stopped or slowing traffic. Follow all lane restrictions as posted.
•Do not tailgate and keep your brakes maintained so you can stop in time. Most injuries and deaths in work zones are caused by rear-end collisions. Obey the posted work zone speed limit.
•Do not cut other vehicles off or change lanes across solid white lines. Signal all lane changes.
•Make sure all occupants in your vehicle are properly secured with a seat belt or child safety seat. Seat belts save lives and help prevent minor crashes from becoming major catastrophes.
•Do not engage in distracting behavior such as talking on a cell phone, texting, changing radio stations, eating, applying makeup, or talking to passengers.
Drivers are encouraged to avoid the congested road conditions often associated with construction zones by seeking alternate routes of travel. Drivers can learn the locations of road construction zones before they depart by calling INDOT’s TrafficWise at 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or on the internet at www.TrafficWise.IN.gov. Portable and permanent electronic message signs are also utilized to communicate messages to the public.