MAHONING COUNTY Trooper charges deputy with DUI and speeding
The deputy is now on paid administrative leave, a detective said.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
BOARDMAN -- Mahoning County Deputy Sheriff Donald Belosic was charged with DUI early today after being stopped on South Avenue for speeding.
Belosic, 29, whose license shows a Boardman address, refused to give his new address, said Trooper Brant Zemelka of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Canfield post. The deputy was doing 59 mph in a 40 mph zone, the trooper said.
Tests refused
Belosic, who had indicated he is a deputy, refused to take any field sobriety tests when stopped on South Avenue, just south of Walker Mill Road, Zemelka said. The trooper described Belosic as uncooperative -- "a little bit mouthy."
Belosic didn't say where he'd been or how much he had to drink, said Lt. Brian Girts, commander at the Canfield post.
The deputy, taken to the Canfield post for a blood-alcohol concentration test, refused that, too, Zemelka said. His license was taken and he received a ride home. Zemelka said a check of Belosic's record shows he has no prior DUI charges.
Belosic, who faces charges of DUI and speeding, was scheduled to be arraigned today at 5:30 p.m. in Mahoning County Court, Boardman.
Belosic is assigned to work 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays in the corrections division at the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department, said Maj. Michael Budd. He's been with the department about seven years.
Based on Belosic's refusal to take field sobriety tests and the blood-alcohol test, he will be placed on paid administrative leave today, said sheriff's Detective Gary Wollet. "We can't have that," Wollet said of the refusal.
Wollet said that Belosic was not at work today and that his gun and identification card would be collected today. Once the facts of the arrest have been reviewed, Belosic could face disciplinary action, Budd said.
"We'll let the case make its way through the court," Budd said.
Belosic, through his wife, had no comment.
meade@vindy.com