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Ex-YPD cop involved in corruption case now faces DUI charges
By Susan Tebben
youngstown
A former Youngstown police officer who was the focus of a corruption investigation in 2012 was arrested by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on charges of driving under the influence and being in possession of a weapon while intoxicated.
According to police reports, Phil Chance Jr., 33, was stopped for failure to display taillights at 2:10 a.m. March 24 on state Route 46 near Norquest Boulevard in Austintown.
The patrol’s Canfield Post said he subsequently was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence. He was taken to the post where he submitted to a breath test, which registered his blood-alcohol content at 0.099. The legal limit in Ohio is 0.08.
Chance also was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun, so police also charged him with being in possession of a weapon while intoxicated. There was “no indication” the gun was stolen, according to Lt. Anne Ralston, public affairs officer for the patrol.
He was released after being processed at the Canfield Post on his own recognizance pending appearance in court.
Chance was arraigned in Mahoning County Court on March 25, where he pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for June 3 in County Court No. 4 in Austintown. Requests for discovery were filed Thursday, along with a motion to preserve any and all video/audio tape evidence, according to court records.
Chance resigned from the Youngstown Police Department in September 2012 after being put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a corruption investigation. The YPD’s Internal Affairs Division worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to initiate a public corruption probe involving Chance because Youngstown police had received complaints from citizens about possible misconduct, according to Vindicator files. It was found that Chance had misappropriated property while on duty in September.
Earlier, after a series of internal investigations involving his use of medications, Chance signed an agreement with the department that he would be fired for any additional serious violations of department policies. This came in April 2012, when Chance also was suspended and agreed to enter into a substance-abuse treatment program while on suspension.
When he resigned, Chance was required to relinquish his Ohio Peace Officer Training Certificate, prohibiting him from ever being a police officer in Ohio again.