Shawn Hamilton, 40, of Lakeview, was charged with a felony count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs relating to a traffic stop Wednesday night.
Officers of the Washington Township Police Department on patrol in the area Township Road 239 near Midway Marathon about 9:50 p.m. observed a male driver pull into the gas station and walk inside.
A short time later, a concerned employee of the gas station reported that there was a male patron that appeared to be very intoxicated. Officers initiated a traffic stop as the reported intoxicated driver exited the gas station.
The driver was identified as Hamilton, and officers observed that he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and a heavy odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from this person. When officers asked Hamilton how much he had to drink, he said he had consumed “a lot.”
The defendant refused field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. Officers recovered marijuana in a clear plastic baggie with a white residue. Hamilton advised that the bag contained vicodin. Officers recovered several open containers of alcohol throughout the vehicle.
Hamilton was transported to Logan County Jail, where he submitted to a breath sample that was nearly twice the legal limit. The defendant has prior OVI arrests in 2020, 2016, 2015 and 2001, making this OVI arrest a felony.