The Indiana Court of Appeals recently ruled a Henry County man won’t have to pay a $1 fine for a traffic ticket issued for squealing his tires at a green light.
A police officer pulled over Layke Leonard in October 2025 after observing his car “peel out” and hearing his tires screech when he departed from a traffic light, according to court documents. Leonard was ticketed for unsafe start, a Class C civil infraction.
During a bench trial, a judge found him guilty and issued him a $1 fine and $140 in court fees.
Leonard challenged the ruling, telling the appeals court he didn’t deny squealing his tires, but argued the officer didn’t have enough evidence to prove it made his driving unsafe.
He cited another Indiana case where the appeals court made the same decision, ruling screeching tires didn’t necessarily mean the driver was endangering themselves or others.
The officer testified that, in his experience, tires squeal when they have lost traction with
the road, causing an unsafe condition.
However, the appeals court said the officer did not indicate Leonard’s vehicle moved “erratically or in a dangerous manner” and overturned the fine and court fees.
“Leonard’s conviction cannot stand,” the judges said in their ruling.
FPI News reporter Carson Gerber covers healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, immigration … and just about any other topic that’s shaping how we live in Indiana today. Reach him at 765-204-4250 or carson.gerber@fpinews.org.
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