OSP: Colonel Glenn Highway ‘hotspot’ for OVI arrests

GREENE COUNTY — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has made 442 arrests so far this year for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, up from 419 at this time last year.

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Lt. Matt Schmenck called the area of I-675 near the Colonel Glenn Highway exit and Colonel Glenn Highway at Fairfield Road “hotspots” for OVI arrests.

“When they’re out there and they’re doing their job, they come across people who are under the influence or other different violations,” Lt. Schmenck said.

State troopers may have made more OVI arrests this year, but they’ve handled less deadly crashes.

At this time last year, OSP investigated 16 deadly crashes with 22 deaths, so far, they’ve investigated five fatal crashes with seven deaths.

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“The people who have died in our crashes this year, none of them were wearing their seat belt.”

None of the seven victims were from Greene County, Lt. Schmenck said, and credits education and enforcement as the reason behind the increase in OVI arrests and decrease in deadly crashes.