Handgun, hollow point bullets found in vehicle during Butler County OVI stop

Oxford police were dispatched at 2:18 a.m. July 11 to look for a man in a red shirt who appeared to be intoxicated getting into a white Dodge Charger. An officer saw the vehicle traveling east on East Spring Street near South Campus Avenue.

The officer reported seeing it fail to stay in the lane of travel, even going entirely over into the westbound lane and then fail to stop at the stop sign at Maple Street. It then turned onto Maple and the officer followed, activating his lights to get the vehicle to stop, which it did near the intersection with East Chestnut Street.

The driver was identified as a Miami University student. When told why he had been stopped, he replied, “I apologize. I’m just trying to get home.” He said he lived at Level 27 Apartments. He said he was coming from a party at Brick Street and that he was driving because the passenger was too intoxicated to drive.

The passenger matched the description of the male who had been observed getting into the driver’s seat which prompted the original call to police.

The suspect was asked how much he had to drink and he said a little bit and added, “I understand that I was driving recklessly.”

The officer noted the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. He said he had had one Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He agreed to perform standard field sobriety tests and the officer found a total of 11 clues to intoxication in the three tests. He was placed under arrest for operating a vehicle intoxicated and handcuffed.

The passenger said he wanted to be tested so he could drive his vehicle home but the officer was detecting the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, as well and said he would not be driving. He reportedly continued to yell and argue with the officer about driving the car. When he was told the car would be towed, the passenger walked toward the car and retrieved the keys but was told to stay away from it. He was then placed into custody for obstruction of official business.

A search of the vehicle found a 9mm Glock 19 in the center console along with three loose hollow point rounds and the magazine for the gun in the driver’s door compartment. He said the gun belonged to his brother, who had left it there after borrowing the vehicle.

The passenger agreed to submit to the field sobriety tests and the officer noted eight total clues to intoxication.

Both men were given breath tests. The driver produced a reading of 0.089. He was charged with OVI, marked lanes and offenses concerning underage persons and released at his residence. The passenger’s breath test reading was 0.064. He was charged with improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, offenses concerning underage persons and obstructing official business and taken to the Butler County Jail.