Niles cop pleads not guilty to drunken driving and speeding

WARREN

Niles police officer Robert P. Miketa II, 41, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Warren Municipal Court to drunken driving and speeding following an early Friday traffic stop on North Road in Howland.

A copy of Miketa’s citation released today by the Ohio State Highway Patrol says Miketa was pulled over at 2:21 a.m. on North Road near Devon Drive. It says he was traveling 44 miles per hour in a 35 mile-per-hour zone. He refused to submit to a blood or breath test to determine whether he was intoxicated.

Atty. Robert Shaker entered a written not guilty plea for Miketa Tuesday, and Judge Terry Ivanchak set Miketa’s arraignment for 9 a.m. Friday. Another hearing is set for 10:15 a.m. Oct. 30, but a reason for the hearing is not listed. Shaker has requested a jury trial and filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case.

Niles Police Chief Jay Holland could not be immediately reached to discuss Miketa’s status with the police department.