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Ohio Supreme Court Rules On Dayton Drugged Driving Case

Ohio Supreme Court bench
Dan Konik
Ohio Supreme Court bench

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled an experienced police officer’s testimony is sufficient to prove a driver was under the influence of drugs.

The ruling comes from a 2012 case in Dayton, when Clinton Richardson rear-ended a car. A police officer noticed Richardson’s slurred speech and conducted field sobriety tests. Richardson failed those and refused to provide a blood sample. Richardson said he had run out of pain killers and was going through opiate withdrawal at the time of the crash. He was convicted of OVI. An appeals court ruled while there was evidence he was driving while impaired, there wasn’t evidence that it was caused by drugs. The Ohio Supreme Court has overturned that decision, saying the testimony of the experienced police officer is sufficient to prove drugged driving impairment in this case.

Copyright 2016 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.