Wrong-way Oxford driver released to wife due to overcrowded jail

A car honking at 10:42 p.m. Dec. 9 alerted an officer on patrol to a driver operating his Subaru in the wrong lane while driving east on High Street approaching Main Street.

The honking was from a vehicle that swerved to avoid a head-on collision as the Subaru traveled a half-block on the wrong side of the roadway. The Subaru then started to turn onto Main street without signaling and stopped.

The officer activated his emergency lights, but the Subaru started moving again, crossing the centerline and hitting a van stopped in the northbound lane at the red light. The Subaru driver was ordered to turn off the engine and had a red face, glassy eyes and seemed confused, according to a police report.

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The Subaru driver was identified as Andor Kiss, 47, who was alone in the vehicle.

He responded to questions with a grunt or indistinguishable word, according to police.

Two other officers arrived to assist and direct traffic. The driver of the van was assisted in getting her vehicle away and Kiss was asked to exit his vehicle.

He was asked to perform field sobriety tests but had difficulty understanding what he was instructed to do and displayed compromised balance and walked at a slow pace, unable to walk a straight line, according to a police report.

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Kiss was placed under arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and placed in handcuffs and had difficulty walking the 20 feet to the cruiser, police said.

He was permitted to call someone to take him home once the booking procedure was completed but he made a call to an unknown person and begged for help because he was under arrest, according to a police report.

When told to end the call, he refused to do so and attempted to “straight arm” the officer, police said.

The phone was taken away and he then refused to take the breath test, according to a police report.

He was taken to the Butler County Jail, but the jail was unable to accept him due to overcrowding and he was returned to Oxford where his wife was contacted and she arrived to take him home.

Kiss was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a marked lanes violation and failure to control a motor vehicle.

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