Police: Ohio officer struck by drunken driver during DUI patrol

BLUE ASH, Ohio (AP) — Police in southwest Ohio say an officer on patrol for drunken drivers has been slightly injured after his vehicle was rear-ended by an inebriated motorist.

WLWT-TV reports the officer in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash was struck early Thursday by a 34-year-old Cincinnati man whose blood-alcohol level tested nearly twice Ohio’s legal limit. The man was arrested and cited before being released.

Blue Ash police say 15-year veteran officer William Fritts was sitting in his department-issued SUV on Ronald Reagan Highway watching for drunken drivers around 3 a.m. when he was hit from behind. Police Chief Paul Hartinger says Fritts was buckled in yet still received back and neck injuries after his SUV was pushed 30 feet.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.