Former officer pleads guilty to battery for punching suspect

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A former northeastern Indiana police officer has pleaded guilty to battery and resigned after authorities say he punched a man who refused to have his blood drawn for a drunken driving investigation.

State police say 28-year-old Charles Smith of Fort Wayne entered the plea this week to the misdemeanor in Allen Superior Court.

The Associated Press left a message Friday with a lawyer listed in court records as representing Smith.

Police say the Fort Wayne officer was at Allen County Jail with the suspect in March when the man refused a breath test. Smith obtained a search warrant to draw the man's blood, but the man reportedly refused to comply.

Police say Smith tried to put the man in handcuffs, but he pulled away and Smith punched him three times.