Ohio lawmaker faces drunken-driving charge

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio state lawmaker facing drunken-driving charges in neighboring Indiana tells his hometown newspaper he has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Republican state Rep. Robert Mecklenborg told the Cincinnati Enquirer today that he represents his constituents well and has “every presumption of innocence at this time.”

Mecklenborg was pulled over for a burned-out headlight at 2:47 a.m. April 23 in Dearborn County, Ind., bordering the western part of Hamilton County, which he represents. Arrest records show the 59-year-old Mecklenborg failed several sobriety tests.

A toxicology report registered his blood-alcohol content at 0.097 percent. The legal limit for intoxication in Ohio is 0.08 percent.

Viagra and another pharmaceutical drug were also picked up in his system. He had a female passenger in the car.

He’s due in court July 26.