Man gets five years in prison on ninth OVI conviction

Staff report

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 Monday 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).

John H. Buck Jr., 42, of Mahoning Avenue in Niles, faces sentencing Thursday in Common Pleas Court on similar charges for his eighth OVI conviction.

Buck had a blood- alcohol level of .203, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, Aug. 31 when he was arrested by the Ohio State Highway Patrol for driving 91 miles per hour while his juvenile son was in the car.

Buck has had his license suspended 32 times and has been convicted of driving under court-imposed suspensions 13 times.