BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- Warren County authorities want to find a former Indianapolis 500 driver who failed to show for a scheduled court appearance Tuesday.
An arrest warrant was filed with the Warren County clerk of courts for David "Salt" Walther, 50, of Oakwood, near Dayton, Ohio. Judge P. Daniel Fedders of Warren County Common Pleas Court issued the warrant after Mr. Walther failed to appear for a sentencing hearing Tuesday.
Mr. Walther was indicted in June. He pleaded guilty Aug. 21 to a fifth-degree felony charge associated with trying to smuggle drugs into the Warren County Jail in Lebanon.
In May, a corrections officer caught him trying to sneak three Tylenol III tablets into his jail cell in a glove. Tylenol III contains 60 milligrams of codeine.
He faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
At the time of the offense, the former Indy car driver was serving four months in the Warren County Jail for failing to pay approximately $8,500 in child support, according to the Warren County Child Support Enforcement Agency.
He raced professionally for more than 10 years and competed in several Indianapolis 500 races. His last appearance at the famous 2.5-mile oval track came in 1979, when he finished 12th.
He is probably most noted for the resilience he displayed in returning to auto racing after surviving a fiery accident at the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Mr. Walther nearly lost his life when his car burst into flames after a 12-car pileup at the start of the race. He spent nearly three months in a hospital recovering from disfiguring burns, but returned to racing nine months later to finish eighth in a race in Ontario, Calif.
