A 17-year-old Kenton teen is facing charges after a traffic stop early Sunday morning in Bellefontaine led police to discover several open alcohol containers inside his vehicle.
According to the Bellefontaine Police Department, an officer stopped a white Chevrolet SUV just before 1:00 a.m. on July 19 after noticing the vehicle’s reverse lights remained illuminated while driving, and its license plate light was not working.
The SUV pulled into the Marathon gas station on North Main Street.
Police identified the driver as Holden Lautenschlager, 17, of Kenton.
During the stop, officers said Lautenschlager admitted he had recently backed into a mailbox and initially denied drinking alcohol.
However, police reported smelling the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, observing bloodshot eyes and slowed speech.
Officers also noted he mistakenly handed over a debit card instead of his driver’s license before correcting himself.
When questioned again, Lautenschlager first claimed he had consumed only one alcoholic drink earlier in the day before later admitting he had more than one but could not remember exactly how much he had consumed.
Officers conducted field sobriety tests and reported observing several indicators of impairment.
A search of the SUV uncovered 14 open alcohol containers, including Busch Light, Michelob Ultra, and Twisted Tea cans and bottles, along with additional unopened alcoholic beverages stored in a cooler.
Lautenschlager was arrested and transported to the Bellefontaine Police Department, where he agreed to provide a breath sample.
The test showed a breath alcohol concentration of 0.008, which is below Ohio’s legal limit for adult drivers.
However, because he was under 21, he was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and underage alcohol consumption.
Following processing, Lautenschlager was released to a sober driver.
The case will be forwarded to the Logan County Juvenile Court for further proceedings.
