Man faces OVI charges after crash with police officer

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — “I don’t need to take any tests, I’m drunk,” a New Middletown man told police after he crashed into a cruiser on the South Side, a report said.

The cruiser, driven by Patrolwoman Shawna-Cie Ott, traveled over grass and smashed into the fence at Lake Park Cemetery on East Midlothian Boulevard after being struck around 5:15 p.m. Thursday. The officer, who had been on her way to a call with siren blaring, was treated for a minor head injury.

Donald A. Mannion, 40, of Delray Drive, was charged with operating a motor vehicle impaired, drug abuse (marijuana) and possession of drug paraphernalia (marijuana pipe) and released at the scene. He was arraigned Friday in municipal court and will be back Nov. 21 for a pretrial hearing.

Patrolman Michael Quinn said in his report that he detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on Mannion at the crash scene and Mannion admitted being drunk. Mannion did one field sobriety test and then said he didn’t want to do anymore, telling Quinn: “I’m drunk, I admit it.”

During a pat-down search, Quinn found a marijuana pipe in Mannion’s pants. A bag of suspected marijuana was found behind the driver’s seat of the 1999 Plymouth Breeze he was driving.