OVI CHECKPOINT NETS 7 ARRESTS

Lorain – As Lorain Police Officers and Ohio State Troopers were ready to begin their OVI Checkpoint Friday night they spotted a car traveling north on Grove approaching fast. The car, according to Lieutenant Travis Hughes of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, was coming at a high rate of speed. “We were just stepping up to the line to begin stopping cars when we saw him. He just missed striking a Lorain Police car at the south end of the checkpoint then drove through ignoring our commands to stop.”

A Trooper jumped in her car and was able to pull the driver over just a couple blocks away. The driver was returned to the checkpoint and was tested. The driver, who has 4 previous OVI convictions, blew a .228 and received his 5th OVI charge. The driver had a valid driver’s license at the time of the stop.

Hughes responded to some questions that our readers had about the time and location of the checkpoint being announced in the media. “By law there are several steps that we have to follow so the checkpoint is not considered entrapment. We first release the county where the checkpoint will take place, and then the morning of we release the actual location and time of the checkpoint.”

Hughes said that in addition to alerting the community to checkpoint there are rules they must follow when setting up the checkpoint. “As drivers approach they will first see a sign alerting them to an OVI checkpoint ahead, then 500 feet from that they will see another sign that tells them to prepare to stop ahead. Before reaching the checkpoint we must provide them an out, so the drivers are able to turn off before going through the checkpoint.”

If a driver makes an aggressive move to avoid the checkpoint they can be pulled over and checked.

A total of 319 cars went through the checkpoint Friday night, that is down from the over 400 that went through the checkpoint on E. 28th a couple weeks ago. However, 7 drivers were arrested for OVI Friday, up 2 from the previous. Only one was charged with Driving under Suspension.


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