Ohio Labor Day weekend drug arrests up, fatalities down

COLUMBUS —This Labor Day weekend, troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol cracked down on drug activity.

Troopers made 194 drug arrests — more than a 21 percent increase — throughout the holiday reporting period of midnight Aug. 31 through 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Labor Day weekend is historically known for being a dangerous time on Ohio roadways, and this year was no different, says a patrol release.

Despite the death of 13 people, who were killed in 13 separate crashes this year, Ohio experienced a decrease of two fatalities when compared to 2011. Fatalities reached a four-year high in 2009, with 20 deaths recorded during the four day reporting period.

The patrol saw a significant increase in seat-belt citations — with an increase of more than 23 percent — with troopers stopping more than 29,000 vehicles in which a citation was issued.