Jan. 25—Brittany Coffman, a former Terre Haute police officer who was arrested on an operating a vehicle while intoxicated charge while on the job, is no longer a member of the police department.

Sgt. Justin Sears, the department’s public information officer, issued a statement saying, “Recently, The Public Employee Retirement Fund (Perf) informed the Terre Haute Police Department that as of December 27th, 2023, Brittany Coffman was no longer to be considered an employee of the department.”

Mark Hassler, attorney for the Terre Haute Police Merit Commission, said Coffman had made an application for permanent disability, and it was approved by PERF. Subject to a re-evaluation of the matter, she is not a member of the police department.

No one from the Indiana Public Retirement System, which handles the employee retirement fund, was available for comment.

On May 26, 2023, Coffman, a 13-year member of the THPD, alerted dispatch at about 3 a.m. that she was involved in a traffic stop and requested a supervisor come to her location. The person being stopped had asked for a police supervisor, court documents indicate.

Her speech sounded slurred both during the radio transmission and on-site, police reported. She was taken to Terre Haute Regional Hospital and tested positive for benzodiazepines. Coffman told a supervisor she had a prescription for Xanax, which is a benzodiazepine.

Though she had a valid prescription, Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said in June that under the law, that was not a defense, and she was charged with a misdemeanor.

She is set for a pre-trial hearing April 1 in Vigo Superior Court 5, Judge Matthew Sheehan presiding, and a trial date of April 30 is currently set.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.