WARREN, OH (WKBN) – A suspected drunk driver smashed into the back of an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser early Sunday morning.

It happened at State Route 82 and E. Market Street near Warren around 2:30 a.m.

Sgt. Daniel Jesse was pulling over a maroon Chevy Trailblazer for a minor traffic stop. While approaching the vehicle, investigators said Jimmie Ray Stella, Jr., 36, of Warren, struck the patrol car, pushing it into the stopped vehicle and striking Jesse.

Both cars were heavily damaged. Jesse was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and later released. The driver who had been pulled over, 26-year-old Jamie Buckner, of Leavittsburg, was treated for minor injuries.

Stella was found to be under the influence of alcohol, according to Highway Patrol. He was charged with OVI and failure to move over for a public safety vehicle. He was arrested and taken to the Trumbull County Jail after being treated at Saint Joseph Health Center.

Stella appeared in Warren Municipal Court this morning and pleaded not guilty.

Buckner said as she was handing the sergeant her identification, she heard a crash and felt her car move. The woman looked out, only to see the sergeant’s hat laying on the ground.