Niles man with 7 OVI convictions pleads guilty

Staff report

WARREN

John H. Buck Jr., 42, of Mahoning Avenue in Niles has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and one count of endangering children.

Buck, who has seven previous OVI convictions, will be sentenced later.

He remains in the Trumbull County Jail on $250,000 bond. He could face up to 11 years in prison.

Mike Burnett, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, filed a memorandum with the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court last week, asking for Buck’s bond to be $250,000 because of his previous OVI convictions, the number of times his license has been suspended (32) and because Buck failed to appear for sentencing on a previous OVI conviction.

Buck has been convicted of driving under court imposed suspensions 13 times and has 29 prior moving violations, including vehicular child endangering and leaving the scene of an accident, Burnett said.

When Buck was convicted of felony OVI in 2003, he was released on bond while a presentence investigation was carried out and went “on the lam” for nearly three years, Burnett said.

Judge W. Wyatt McKay sentenced Buck to six months in prison in March 2006 for that offense.

His most recent OVI occurred Aug. 31, when an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper pulled him over for driving 91 mph while his juvenile son was in the car.

His blood-alcohol level was .203, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, the patrol reported.