On Wednesday in Brunswick, a simple school drop-off turned into a police arrest after officers say a Cleveland man was pulled over and found with a loaded gun in his vehicle and a blood-alcohol level of .242 percent. The driver told officers he had just dropped his juvenile daughter at Brunswick High School before the stop, according to the police blotter. He was taken into custody on suspicion of impaired driving and weapons offenses while additional charges are under review.
Police report they stopped the vehicle on Center Road for expired license plates and spotted an open container inside. A breath test later registered .242 percent, and the blotter lists charges of impaired driving and possession of a loaded firearm. Prosecutors are reviewing whether to add counts that could include child endangerment, according to the same police log as reported by Cleveland.com.
Legal Implications
A .242 BAC is more than three times Ohio’s per-se limit of 0.08 for adult drivers and can support an OVI prosecution under state law. Operating a vehicle in violation of that statute with a child on board can also trigger endangering-children charges, which carry penalties ranging from misdemeanors to felonies depending on the harm and prior convictions, according to the Ohio Revised Code and the state statute on endangering children at §2919.22.
Other Calls in the Blotter
The same blotter entry notes a Feb. 19 incident in which a school-bus camera caught a motorist passing a stopped bus with red caution lights activated on Pearl Road; that driver received a warning. It also lists a Feb. 22 theft report at the Meijer on Center Road, where a man allegedly tried to leave with about $92 in merchandise without paying and was cited and released. Those incidents were recorded in the police blotter and reported by Cleveland.com, and Ohio school-district guidance reminds drivers they must stop for buses displaying flashing red lights and extended stop signs, according to Cincinnati Public Schools…