A 61-year-old Russells Point man was arrested for OVI and driving without a license after police were called to Lowe’s Saturday evening.
According to a Bellefontaine Police report, officers were dispatched around 6:23 p.m. to Lowe’s on South Main Street after employees reported a man driving around the back of the business and cursing at employees.
A Lowe’s employee told officers he believed the man was intoxicated.
A Logan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was in the area and responded to the call.
The deputy located the man, identified as Jeffrey Hoge, driving a black 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the fenced-in area behind Lowe’s.
Hoge told officers he was trying to get concrete for the third time that day, but no one would load it for him.
When asked why he was driving without a license, Hoge said he had undergone neck surgery and needed to get things done.
Hoge initially told officers he had consumed one shot of Fireball about an hour earlier.
He later said he had consumed approximately five or six shots throughout the day, beginning around 11:30 a.m. or noon.
Officers reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from Hoge.
Hoge agreed to standardized field sobriety testing, which he failed.
He was then arrested for OVI and driving without an operator’s license.
His Jeep was towed from the scene by Wren’s Towing.
At the Bellefontaine Police Department, Hoge refused a breath test but agreed to provide a urine sample.
The sample was sealed and sent to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Crime Lab for testing.
Hoge was issued citations for OVI and driving without an operator’s license, and then released to a sober driver.
He is scheduled to appear in Bellefontaine Municipal Court Wednesday, October 7, at 9 a.m.
