Perry Twp. is located west of Trotwood, south of Interstate 70 and north of U.S. 35.
In the report, the officer wrote that Johnston stopped at that intersection for a long time, and then when the officer pulled behind him he saw the car’s license plate lights were out, so pulled him over. The officer said that he immediately recognized Johnston.
While speaking to Johnston, the officer said that he smelled an overwhelming odor of alcohol from Johnston, despite strong winds blowing, and noticed that the trustee was acting “off”, needing to be asked twice for his driver’s license.
Body camera video footage shows the officer administer some sobriety tests while Johnston was still in the vehicle, including reciting a portion the alphabet without singing and counting as he touched his thumb to his fingers. In the video, Johnston skips letters and recites letters that were outside of the range the officer asked for, and is unable to complete the counting task.
When asked how many drinks he had had that evening, Johnston told the officer he had had one.
The video captures the officer calling for another witness for him to conduct field sobriety tests on Johnston, saying, “I’m on a traffic stop. My driver’s hammered, and he’s a trustee.”
After conducting a few field sobriety tests, officers placed Johnston under arrest.
Charges for driving under the influence and the broken license plate light, both misdemeanors, were filed in Montgomery County Municipal Court Western Division on Tuesday, and Johnston pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
We have reached out to Johnston and his attorney for comment and will update this story with any response.
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