ISP: Woman bites trooper, spits on jail officer during drunk driving arrest

Shelby Foster, 22, of Chicago. Indiana State Police say Foster bit a trooper and spat on a Porter County jail officer during a drunk driving arrest on I-94. (Provided Photo/Porter County jail)
Shelby Foster, 22, of Chicago. Indiana State Police say Foster bit a trooper and spat on a Porter County jail officer during a drunk driving arrest on I-94. (Provided Photo/Porter County jail)

VALPARAISO, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana State Police say a Chicago woman bit a trooper and spit on a jail officer during her drunk driving arrest on Interstate 94 on Saturday.

State police say the situation started at around 6:40 p.m. on Saturday in Porter County.

Trooper Baumeister was patrolling I-94 east of a truck weigh station when he saw a silver Hyundai, driven by 22-year-old Shelby Foster, pass him at 105 mph. Foster also changed lanes without signaling and passed other vehicles on the right. 

Baumeister eventually tried to pull Foster over, but she didn’t stop at first. After stopping, he says Foster showed signs of alcohol impairment. 

Once Foster was handcuffed, ISP says she became verbally aggressive towards Baumeister, and insisted that her relative was a Chicago police officer and demanded that the trooper call him immediately.

According to ISP, while taking Foster to the Porter County jail, she was able to remove her wrist from one handcuff. Trooper Baumeister stopped the vehicle and attempted to handcuff Foster again.

But Foster resisted arrest, leaning out of the patrol car and forcefully biting Baumeister’s arm. Baumeister says he quickly pulled his arm away from her teeth and she began to scream at him. 

After being handcuffed again, Foster made threats of serious violence towards Baumeister and his family, as well as claims that she is related to several Chicago Police Officers, police say.

Once at the jail, officials say Foster refused to take a certified chemical test for intoxication and spit on one of the jail officers during the booking process.

While locating Foster’s ID in her purse, Indiana State Police also discovered two fake Illinois ID cards.

Foster faces the following preliminary charges:  

  • Battery by Bodily Waste Fluid (2 counts)- Level 6 Felony
  • Intimidation- Level 6 Felony
  • Battery Against a Public Safety Official Engaged in Official Duty- Level 6 Felony
  • Resisting Law Enforcement- Class A Misdemeanor
  • Reckless Driving- Class A Misdemeanor
  • Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangering a Person- Class A Misdemeanor
  • Disorderly Conduct- Class B Misdemeanor
  • Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated- Class C Misdemeanor
  • Possession of False Identification- Class C Misdemeanor

She wasn’t listed as an inmate at the jail as of Tuesday.