DUI charges go to state official with .31 BAC

An Ohio state official is facing DUI allegations after he was reportedly found drunk in a running vehicle within the city limits. The northwest Ohio man will be required to mount a DUI defense against the charges, which allege that his blood alcohol content measured more than .3% – almost four times the legal limit in Ohio. The man was found at about 6 p.m. on 14 September on the side of a rural road where he was allegedly slumped over his steering wheel with his car running. An open bottle of alcohol was found in the man’s vehicle. The man will be charged with drunk driving, though other charges may also be considered. The councilman was reelected last November, and he now serves on local committees for technology, public property, and law. Official reports show that the man has been involved in similar incidents in the past. The councilman was cited for public drunkenness in January after he was reportedly found sleeping in his vehicle with an open bottle of vodka. In that case, the man passed out in the parking lot of a grocery store. He was subject to a modest fine and entered a rehabilitation program after that incident. He was also under fire from local residents for interfering with a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board investigation. The fact that this man has had two similar run-ins with law enforcement officers within the past year is likely to increase the severity of the charges he faces for this second alleged offense. First-time drunk driving offenders are often treated with more leniency, as demonstrated by the fact that the man entered a rehabilitative program instead of serving hard time. The criminal defense for a multiple DUI offender is likely different from that of a first-time drunk driver. Criminal defense attorneys can help their clients understand their new charges, creating a defense strategy that will maximize the outcome of that case.