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State Lawmaker Settles Drunk Driving Case With No Contest Plea; Loses License and CCW Permit

Ohio House/Butler County Jail

A state lawmaker was in court today to settle the case regarding the night he was found passed out drunk in the drive thru of a Butler County restaurant. He’ll lose his driver’s license till September, but that’s not all.

A day after he was in the Statehouse to vote yes on the House version of the budget, Wes Retherford (R-Hamilton) pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor impaired driving charge. It was the only one he was facing after his arrest in March, when he was found passed out in his running truck in the drive thru lane of a McDonalds. A grand jury had declined to indict him on a felony charge for the loaded handgun that had been found in the truck – a conviction on that would have cost him his House seat. Retherford admitted in court he’d made a mistake. He got a six month jail sentence for his no contest plea, but all of that was suspended except for three days that he’ll spend in an alcohol treatment program. And he also must forfeit his gun and his conceal carry permit.

Contact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
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