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Democratic Rep. Dan Forestal Resigns From Indiana House, Effective Immediately

Courtesy of the Indiana House Democrats

Rep. Dan Forestal (D-Indianapolis) announced Monday he is immediately resigning his seat in the Indiana House.

In a statement, Forestal says the decision to resign is driven by a need to focus on his mental health, something he says is “long overdue.” The four-term Democratic representative has had legal issues since last summer, when he was charged with threatening police officers who stopped him on suspicion of drunk driving.

His latest arrest came last week for resisting law enforcement, battery against a public safety official and disorderly conduct. That was during a wellness check by law enforcement.

Forestal had already opted not to run for re-election. Now, a Democratic precinct caucus will elect a replacement to finish out the last few months of his term.

Indianapolis City-County Councillor Blake Johnson already announced his intention to seek to fill the vacancy. Johnson recently won the Democratic primary in Forestal's House district.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.