OVI offenders arraigned in Youngstown court

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

One person with a high blood-alcohol content and another who has six previous alcohol-related offenses for driving were arraigned in municipal court.

Melvin Tate, 48, of Youngstown is in the Mahoning County jail on $10,000 bond after his arraignment Friday on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence with a high blood-alcohol content, driving under suspension and two counts of possession of drugs.

Reports said Tate was stopped by a trooper with the Canfield Barracks of the Ohio State Highway Patrol about 9:10 p.m. Thursday on Belmont Avenue for running a red light. Reports said Tate smelled heavily of alcohol. He was given several field-sobriety tests, which he failed, and the trooper also found several pills on him, reports said.

Tate was taken back to the Canfield barracks, where he was given a blood-alcohol content test. Reports said he registered a 0.22 BAC on the test. The legal limit for driving drunk in Ohio is 0.08.

Also arraigned on a charge of operating a vehicle while impaired was Jonathan Alexander, 41, of Allendale Drive. Reports said he was pulled over by Mill Creek MetroParks police about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday at Old Furnace Hill Road and Robinson Hill Drive.

Judge Elizabeth Kobly said Alexander has six previous convictions for alcohol-related offenses related to driving dating back to 1993. City Prosecutor Dana Lantz said Alexander is not facing a felony for his latest OVI arrest because the conviction in 1993 is too old to count against him. His last offense was a failure to physically control, in which Alexander said he was in a parked car when the offense occurred. That offense happened in February 2014.

Atty. Mark Hanni asked for a reasonable bond for his client and said he is not a risk to harm the public. Judge Kobly said she begged to differ.

“He’s been driving drunk since 1993,” Judge Kobly said.

Hanni then clarified his statement.

“As long as he’s not driving,” Hanni said.

Alexander told the judge he is a Navy veteran and knows he has to get better.

“I plan to seek help. I have a problem,” Alexander said.

Judge Kobly set Alexander’s bond at $7,500.