Trooper Daniel Buchanan’s cruiser camera footage showed the Jeep in the far right lane veer across marked lines at times before the trooper initiated the traffic stop. Kordik said he was a deputy and that he was on his way back from the country music festival. When asked whether he had been drinking, he said he had been earlier in the day, according to the recording.
“I’m getting a little bit of an odor of alcohol coming from your vehicle right now,” the trooper told him.
Kordik agreed to perform an eye test — typically the first field sobriety test administered to someone suspected of impaired driving. The driver must stand with feet together, and hands at the sides while holding his or her head still. Then the driver must follow a pen moving only the eyes as the officer moves it slowly side to side or up and down.
After the pen test, Kordik refused further testing. Refusing to complete field sobriety tests in Ohio equates to an automatic arrest but is within a person’s rights.
Kordik then placed his hands behind his back while the trooper cuffed him.
The Montgomery County Sheriff Office declined to comment on the incident.
Kordik pleaded not guilty to OVI and a marked lanes violation during his arraignment Tuesday in Miami County Municipal Court. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 19 in the case.
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