Duke Tumatoe arrested for DWI in Yorktown
Duke Tumatoe arrested for DWI in YorktownNEWYORK TOWN -- At first glance, the recent arrest of William S. Fiorio, a 61-year-old Carmel resident, on a drunken driving charge by Yorktown police might not draw much attention.
But Fiorio is better known as Duke Tumatoe, one of Indiana's more high-profile music celebrities, frequent "Bob and Tom" radio guest and a former member of REO Speedwagon.
During a routine traffic stop in the early morning hours of Jan. 24, Yorktown patrol officer Larry Harless found Fiorio -- a/k/a Tumatoe -- behind the wheel of a vehicle on Ind. 32 and smelled alcohol on the singer's breath, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The entertainer allegedly failed a field sobriety test, and then was given a breath test at the Yorktown Police Department that measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.14 percent. In Indiana, motorists with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher are considered intoxicated.
At that point Fiorio was preliminarily charged with a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated and taken to the Delaware County jail. He was released about five hours later after posting bond.
Tumatoe's arrest has been the talk of local bars and among law enforcement officers in the wake of last month's DWI patrols, which are typically heavy along Ind. 32 (known as Kilgore Avenue in west Muncie and Smith Street in Yorktown), where several bars are located.
Yorktown Marshal Todd St. John was informed of the arrest, and said that Fiorio was "nice and cordial" and did everything the officer asked.
Fiorio's band, Duke Tumatoe and the Power Trio, had played to a full house at Yorktown's Mr. Mouse tavern on the night of Jan. 23. He plays as many as 200 shows a year, along with his "Bob and Tom" appearances on WFBQ-95, where he sings Lord Help Our Colts during the NFL season and his signature song, Tie You Up.
Briefly a member of REO Speedwagon in the late 1960s, Tumatoe later led the All Star Frogs and more recently the Power Trio, and recently released a new CD, You've Got the Problem.
The title song features lyrics about a misunderstood fellow's troubles with his partner: "I don't drink too much baby. You don't drink enough."
Fiorio and his manager did not respond to attempts to reach them for comment.
Formal charges in the case had not been filed as of Thursday. Court and state Department of Bureau Motor Vehicle records reflect no previous arrests or convictions for the singer.
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