9th OVI case gets Cortland man 5 years in prison

WARREN — Ricky Slabaugh, 49, of West Main Street in Cortland has been sentenced to five years in prison for his ninth conviction for felony operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

He also agreed to a lifetime driver’s license suspension and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child-endangering for having a child in the car when he was arrested.

Slabaugh’s plea was today in the courtroom of Judge Peter Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Slabaugh was arrested Sept. 9 after a crash on Bradley Brownlee Road in Johnston Township.

At the time, Slabaugh was driving on a suspended license, and the license had been suspended 13 previous times.

His blood-alcohol level was 0.099, which is above the legal limit of 0.08.

A test of his urine indicated a level of marijuana in his system that was 135 nanograms per liter, which is nearly four times the amount the Ohio law says indicates marijuana intoxication (35 nanograms per liter).

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com