Lawmaker resigns after drunken-driving arrest

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

An Ohio state representative whose arrest in Indiana this spring on a drunken-driving charge came to light several weeks ago announced Sunday that he was resigning, effective Aug. 2.

Cincinnati-area Republican Rep. Robert Mecklenborg said in a statement that his recent actions have become a distraction from the Legislature’s work, and he apologized for any pain and embarrassment he caused his relatives and the people he represented.

“I will be forever grateful to the many constituents and colleagues who have urged me to stay, but I believe it is in the best interests of my family and my constituents to step aside during this difficult time,” he said. Mecklenborg, an attorney, is married and has three children, according to his biography on the Ohio House website.

The third-term lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to the drunken-driving charge and has a court date scheduled for July 26. Arrest and court records showed the 59-year-old Mecklenborg failed several sobriety tests when he was pulled over by an Indiana state trooper April 23. He had a female passenger, and his blood alcohol content was registered at 0.097 percent.

“Bob has admitted his mistakes and, while difficult, I believe he has made the appropriate decision to step down as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives,” House Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina Republican, said in a statement Sunday that praised Mecklenborg as “a dedicated public servant” and thanked him for his service.

Batchelder previously said Mecklenborg was seeking treatment but didn’t offer further explanation.

The Republican Party in Mecklenborg’s home county also supported his decision.

“Before these recent personal revelations, Rep. Mecklenborg served his constituents diligently and he was among the most effective legislators in this state,” Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou said in a statement. “Bob and his family will be in our thoughts as they move forward.”

Mecklenborg’s arrest surfaced late last month, a day after he delivered an impassioned floor speech and cast a vote in support of House Bill 125, which would ban abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat. Batchelder said the representative hadn’t shared the information of the arrest with House leaders.

Mecklenborg said Sunday that he believed he’d faithfully served his constituents by focusing on priorities such as anti-abortion legislation.