The Washington Court House Police Chief has been issued two traffic tickets after he crashed his personal Jeep earlier this month.
Chief of Police Brian Hottinger crashed on Greenfield-Sabina Road on September 6, after he left a local golf outing at Buckeye Hills Country Club.
According to police reports, Hottinger “failed to maintain full time attention” and went off the right side of the road, crashing into a ditch, before hitting two trees. He was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the Jeep.
Hottinger was taken to Grant Medical Center in Columbus where he suffered numerous broken vertebras, according to news reports.
A week later, the chief was issued tickets for failure to control and for not wearing his seatbelt. Sheriff deputies closed the case and did not test the chief’s blood that was drawn at the hospital for alcohol.
“I don’t know the hospital protocol but we had no suspicion of impairment,” said Fayette County Sheriff Vernon P. Stanforth. “I was with him at the scene and spoke to him prior to him being placed into the ambulance and there was not indication present. If their had been any indication we would have taken appropriate action.”
Hottinger is off work on medical leave and Lieutenant Rusty Lowe is heading up the department with Sergeant Jeff Furnari.