More than 1.1 million Ohio residents have at least one conviction for drinking and driving. One Ohio man in particular, however, has just been arrested for his 16th OVI (operating a vehicle under the influence).
Campbell, Ohio police officers pulled over David Black after he drove through a stop sign around 3:30 p.m. on October 12.
“There were a lot of kids getting off the bus for school, definitely a residential neighborhood where people are outside and it was a very nice day,” said officer Robert Vukovich.
Vukovich immediately suspected Black was intoxicated.
“He had glassy eyes, slurred speech. He had a hard time finding his license and insurance. He presented a lot of wrong documents to begin with,” he said.
According to the police report, there was an open can of beer in the cup holder beside Black. Later, Vukovich discovered that the can was cold and about half full still.
Black was unable to stand up or pass field sobriety tests. He also refused to take a blood test.
In this instance, Black was charged with a third-degree felony OVI, but authorities noted that this was his 16th OVI overall.
“Four in the last 20 years, and 11 prior to that,” Vukovich confirmed.
According to Scott Weamer of the Mahoning County OVI Task Force, repeat offenders typically have their license revoked at some point. Black did have his license taken away after one of his many offenses, but got it back. He was in possession of it when he was arrested on October 12.
More than 1.4 million Americans are arrested each year for a DUI (or OVI) first offense. In Ohio, the penalty for a first offense is 72 hours of mandatory imprisonment or participation in a court-ordered driver intervention program, a fine between $375 and $1,075, and a license suspension of six months to three years. The penalties increase with each subsequent DUI or OVI conviction.
