Ohio state Rep. Wes Retherford had rough night Saturday.
The third-term lawmaker, who represents the 51st Ohio House District, was in the McDonald’s drive-thru in Liberty Township around 3:23 a.m. Sunday morning when a woman at the fast-food restaurant called police, the Journal-News reports.
“There’s a guy passed out in the drive-thru in his truck,” the woman, who stopped in to McDonald’s with her daughter, told 911 dispatchers. “His truck is running as well.”
“He’s not even up to where he orders,” she said. “He’s just sitting there.”
When officers arrived, they found Retherford, a 32-year-old mortician’s assistant, so intoxicated he couldn’t stand on his own two feet.
A report from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office contends Retherford “was having a difficult time standing up” during a field sobriety test.
“His speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot. He appeared to be confused,” according to the report. “He stated he was coming from the bar next door to McDonald’s.”
According to the Journal-News:
Before his arrest Sunday, Retherford attended the Butler County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner at the Oscar Event Center in Fairfield. During that event, Retherford told several attendees that he planned to go to The Grandstand, a bar and grill in Liberty Twp., after the dinner.
Attendees at the GOP dinner told the Cincinnati Enquirer Retherford did not seem impaired while he was at the event.
Voters re-elected Retherford to his third term as a state representative in November. He beat out his Democratic challenger by more than 30 percentage points, but faced stiff competition in the primary from former Rep. Courtney Combs, who accused Retherford of partying in Columbus.
Retherford was ordered by Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger in 2015 to remove a liquor cabinet in his office at the Statehouse, a violation of house rules. Retherford alleged he was storing the cabinet in his office temporarily.
On Sunday, deputies allege they also found a loaded Glock model 23, as well as 15 40-caliber rounds, holstered in the center console of his truck. The police report states Retherford holds a valid concealed weapons license.
A deputy on scene reported he was forced to end Retherford’s field sobriety test because he “nearly fell over.”
“I stopped the test for his safety,” the deputy wrote.
The lawmaker was initially transported to a Ohio State Highway Patrol station for a breathalyzer test, which he refused, and was later hauled to Butler County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and improper handling of firearms, according to the Dayton Daily News.
He has not formally been charged with a crime, and would lose his seat in the state House if convicted of the gun crime.
Local Democrats pounced on the opportunity to belittle their political foe.
“Alcohol and guns are a reckless mix, and we’re glad nobody was physically hurt as a result of Rep. Retherford’s actions,” Butler County Democratic Executive Committee Chair Jocelyn Bucaro wrote in a statement. “For too long, Retherford has betrayed his constituents’’ trust. Instead of fighting to bring jobs to his district, invest in better schools, or combat the opioid epidemic in our community, he has built a reputation as the laziest and one of the most disengaged members of the state legislature.
“We are extremely disappointed in Rep. Retherford’s actions and pray he takes this opportunity to get the help he so obviously needs,” she wrote.
Butler County Republican Party Chairman Todd Hall said Republicans are “disappointed” by their colleague’s arrest.
“While it is wise to be patient and allow the legal process to work itself through, our party is obviously disappointed at the first reports concerning State Representative Wes Retherford’s actions early this morning,” Hall wrote in a prepared statement. “The Butler County Republican Party rightfully holds our officeholders to high standards. We are proud to have a tremendous and highly respected group of elected Republican leaders. Strong ethical and moral conduct is imperative to our Party as it is to the public. As all of the details regarding last night’s incident come to light, they will be examined and considered accordingly.”
House Republican spokesman Brad Miller said GOP leaders are praying for Retherford and his family, and any actions against the lawmaker “will be made once more information is brought forward.”
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