Sun Sep 05 2010
By JARED ORZOLEK
The four children killed July 26 when a woman driving drunk crashed her van on a New York state highway should serve as a stark reminder against operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
But driving drunk while transporting children is a crime that is an all-too-frequent encounter for area law enforcement officers.
On Aug. 10, the Henry County Sheriff's Office arrested a 34-year-old Napoleon man on charges of OVI and child endangering. Deputies allege the man was driving drunk on Ohio 65 in McClure with two children in his vehicle.
"When you endanger a child who has no say whatsoever ... it's just crazy," said Henry County Sheriff John Nye. "I don't think you gender associate it one way or another, but it's totally inexcusable."
Unfortunately, the McClure incident is not an isolated case.
Area law enforcement officers report driving drunk while transporting children is a crime that is committed by both men and women.
In Defiance, the city police department has charged more than 100 persons with OVI so far this year. In two of those cases, police say individuals were transporting children while drunk.
"We usually get two or three of these cases per year," said Sgt. Scott Campbell of the Defiance Police Department. "It's a serious incident."
Campbell explained that a charge of child endangering is a first-degree misdemeanor and the child services department is contacted when these incidents occur. He said individuals can be charged with a felony if they have a previous conviction of endangering children.
At the Defiance post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Lt. Bill Stidham said OVI arrests handled by the patrol are up nearly 20 percent this year. He said troopers have previously encountered individuals driving under the influence with children in the vehicle.
"The offense of OVI is dangerous enough for people in the car and other people on the road," Stidham said. "To bring a child into the situation makes it that much more dangerous and we would not hesitate to file charges in that situation."
OVI-related child endangering is a charge that troopers at each of the patrol posts in northwest Ohio have filed within the last two years, according to Stidham.
The Defiance post filed one charge of OVI-related child endangering in 2008 and has yet to file such as charge this year.
The Lima post filed seven such charges in 2008, and one so far in 2009, while the Findlay post filed four in 2008 and one in 2009.
The Bowling Green post filed 11 child endangering charges related to OVI in 2008, and has filed seven so far this year, while the Toledo post filed 12 such charges last year and five so far in 2009.
The Van Wert post of the Ohio Highway Patrol has filed one OVI-related child endangering charge this year; five were filed in 2008.
The patrol is committed to enforcement of Ohio's drunken driving laws, according to Stidham.
He explained that the Defiance post previously operated an OVI checkpoint in Williams County and is planning to initiate a second checkpoint in Defiance County later this year.
Stidham noted that alcohol affects everyone differently, so individuals should always designate a driver if they are planning to drink alcoholic beverages.
"When in doubt, don't drive," he said. "If you designate a driver beforehand, you won't make a poor decision when your thinking is impaired."
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