COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has arrested three Franklin County men this week on repeated violations for driving under the influence.
According to news releases, one man was arrested in Newark, another in Columbus and the third in Pickerington, with all three being jailed for operating a vehicle while impaired.
On March 4, the OSHP said it arrested 49-year-old Kenneth Hughes, of Columbus after he was stopped for speeding and a lane violation on State Route 16, near 21st Street in Newark.
Troopers said clues of impairment were observed and it was determined Hughes was under the influence of alcohol. He was taken to Licking County Justice Center on a charge of third-degree felony OVI.
It is Hughes’ sixth OVI related offense in the past 10 years, and he’s faced charges of OVI, driving with a suspended license or misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance a total of 18 times since 2010.
On Wednesday, Hughes was issued a $75,000 bond in Licking County Court of Common Pleas and is scheduled to next appear in court March 13 for a preliminary hearing.
Earlier in the week, troopers detained 42-year-old Geoffrey Hunter on East Livingston Avenue, near Lonsdale Road during a traffic stop for speeding and a lane violation. Hunter, who now has four OVI infractions in the past five years and two from over 20 years ago, was under the influence of alcohol and was taken to Franklin County Jail.
Hunter was issued a $10,000 bond in Franklin County Municipal Court on Monday. He also has previously pleaded guilty four separate times in common pleas court on felony charges, including three for theft.
On Thursday the OSHP said it arrested 42-year-old Kelvin Fisher, of Pickerington. Fisher was stopped for speeding on Main Street, near Lancaster Avenue in Reynoldsburg. it is Fisher’s second felony OVI, fifth OVI offense in less than 10 years and sixth overall. He received three years of community control in 2023, but has since been charged twice for OVI.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 30 percent of more than 82,000 OVI arrests since 2020 are repeat offenders.
