Man arrested for OVI on New Year’s Day while wearing party hat (video)

PAINESVILLE, Ohio (WOIO) - Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested a man for OVI while wearing a party hat on New Year’s Day.

Troopers started a traffic stop with a man driving a Honda sedan at around 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 1 on SR-2 near SR-283 in Painesville for a marked lanes violation, according to OSHP Sgt. Ray Santiago.

Officials said troopers administered field sobriety tests after they saw indications the driver was intoxicated.

Bodycam video caught the troopers administering the tests to the driver, who was still donning the small celebratory hat for New Year’s Eve.

Troopers arrested the driver, identified as Willoughby 23-year-old Clayton Griffin, after being found to be impaired.

Griffin agreed to a breath test, which showed he had a blood alcohol level of .200, over twice the legal limit of Ohio’s .08 level.

Officials charged Griffin with a marked lanes violation, OVI and a high-tier OVI charge due to having a blood alcohol content sample of over .170.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

Copyright 2023 WOIO. All rights reserved.