FISHERS, Ind. — An Indiana State Senate candidate is accused of canvassing door-to-door in a Fishers neighborhood while being high on cocaine.
Andrew Dezelan of Fishers was arrested on Sunday night in Fishers after a resident reported him to police for soliciting. He is currently being held in Hamilton County Jail on preliminary charges of possession of cocaine, a Level 6 felony, and resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor.
On Tuesday, Dezelan was officially charged in Hamilton County with one count of possession of cocaine, a Level 6 felony, and a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement.
Dezelan is one of four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in Senate District 31 in the upcoming primary elections. Dezelan’s campaign website lists him as a Greenfield native who served as policy director for the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus for 11 years.Dezelan posted multiple times to his social media accounts just hours before his arrest on Sunday. In the posts, he talked about being out canvassing the neighborhood as part of his election efforts.
On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, he wrote about creating a walkable spreadsheet, with the help of AI, so that he could preach to voters about the threats of data centers.
On Instagram, he posted a photograph of himself with “Vote Andrew Dezelan” flyers.
“Cutting turf and pounding pavement until they tell me to stop,” he posted not long before his arrest.
According to Fishers police, officers caught up with Dezelan while he was sitting in his vehicle outside a neighborhood clubhouse. When asked what he was doing, Dezelan told the officer he was out canvassing the neighborhood. The officer said he was unfamiliar with the term and asked about the difference between canvassing and soliciting.
According to police, Dezelan didn’t answer the question and instead said he had been given permission by the HOA to be out in the neighborhood.
While speaking with officers, Dezelan allegedly showed signs of being under the influence of narcotics. Police said he was visibly sweating, nervous, and glancing around his vehicle. He eventually said he had to go and tried to put his vehicle in reverse and drive away.
Police ordered Dezelan to stop and he complied. But police say he resisted again when officers tried to handcuff him. Police eventually pinned him to the ground and cuffed him.
A search of his vehicle uncovered a plastic bag full of white powder that tested positive as cocaine, court documents reveal.
Court documents state that Dezelan’s bond was set at $10,000. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 7.
