Springboro man accused of driving wrong-way on I-675, nearly hitting vehicles

FAIRBORN — A 78-year-old Springboro man who is facing OVI and reckless operation charges after he was stopped by Fairborn police for driving the wrong-way on I-675 Sunday night is scheduled to be arraigned in court today.

Kenneth B. Bell was arrested after police stopped him around 10 p.m. after he entered the highway driving north in the southbound lanes of the highway at the Dayton-Yellow Springs Road exit.  Bell eventually pulled over for officers near the Ohio 235 exit as other drivers on the highway swerved to avoid a head-on collision.

Bell told Fairborn police when he pulled over that he misunderstood and had left a “get together” in Fairborn.  At first he denied having anything to drink, but after being questioned admitted to having a beer and some wine, cruiser camera footage showed.

“This could have been bad,” the officer who pulled Bell over said to the police supervisor on scene. “I saw him just before the turnaround, it looks like he was in the middle and cars were parting like the Red Sea.”

The officer said Bell was going about 15 mph when he spotted him on the highway.

Multiple people had called 911 to report Bell driving the wrong way.

One caller said, “I just witnessed a drunk driver getting on the highway going the wrong way.”

Bell also was captured on a camera by the Ohio Department of Transportation camera network on entering I-675 near the high school on Sunday night.

In the video, another driver flashed their headlights at Bell, who was going by slowly on the shoulder of the highway.

Bell is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Fairborn Municipal Court. We will update this story with any new details.