Glenn Wheet, the Mishawaka doctor who drove his car into a crowd of racial justice protesters two years ago, will not serve any time in jail for the incident.
Wheet was found guilty of criminal recklessness by a jury in February. That’s a level 6 felony which could carry anywhere from six months to two and a half years of jail time.
However, Indiana law allows for some low-level felony convictions to be entered as Class A misdemeanors.
And St. Joseph County Superior Court Judge John Marnocha, who presided over the case, elected to do just that during Wheet’s sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
Wheet was instead given one year of probation and a $1,000 fine for the incident, which took place in July 2020 when police closed off Mishawaka’s Main Street Bridge.
According to charging documents, Wheet drove toward the bridge and initially followed traffic patterns. But he then turned back and crossed two lines of orange traffic cones onto the bridge.
As protesters approached his vehicle and pounded on the windshield, Wheet accelerated away, striking three protesters and dragging another by his passenger-side mirror.
Wheet told police there were no signs that said “road closed,” so he pulled onto the bridge to tell the group he had rightful use of the road. He said protesters jumped on his car before he could say anything.
It is unclear whether Wheet’s conviction will affect his license to practice medicine.
Professional licenses are investigated by the Indiana Attorney General’s consumer protection division if a complaint is filed.
As of Wednesday, Wheet’s medical license was listed as “active” in the state’s database. It had previously been listed as “valid to practice while reviewed” at the time of his conviction in February.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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