Jerome W. Johnson, 51, of 817 Euclid St., was charged Saturday with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and issued traffic citations for three counts of driving under suspension and single counts of no operator’s license, failure to reinstate driving privileges, a marked lanes violation and driving on a sidewalk.
An officer of the Bellefontaine Police Department on patrol on Lawrence Street at 2:35 a.m. observed a car pulling from a parking stop move forward four times but suddenly stop hard causing the vehicle to rock back and forth. The car then traveled west ward in the left lane. The motorist signaled for a right turn and the car drifted to the right and onto a sidewalk.
A traffic stop was initiated and once stopped, Johnson exited the car. He used the vehicle to steady himself as he walked to the rear and around to the passenger side. He tried to open the locked passenger door multiple times, the officer reported.
It was apparent to the officer that Johnson was extremely intoxicated and he detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the motorist.
Brief field sobriety tests indicated Johnson was impaired and he was taken to the police department. He failed to provide an adequate sample for the breathalyzer.
The incident report notes Johnson has six previous OVI convictions.
• Gage L. Rollins, 18, of 909 N. Main St., was stopped Sunday for driving under suspension and charged with possession of marijuana and under age possession of alcohol.
He was stopped around 12:30 a.m. on Brown Avenue near Main Street.
He admitted to having a marijuana cigarette and tossed it out of his car while an officer was standing at the door. A search of the car found a bucket with numerous 50 ml bottles of alcohol.
A 16-year-old girl with him was taken home and released to her mother.