A popular on-air personality in Ohio has been sentenced to jail time after he was picked up for a second DUI earlier this year.
The Guardian was the first news organization to tell you that Jamie Simpson, then-Chief Meteorologist at ABC 22/FOX 45 in Dayton was pulled over for drinking while driving. Now, as a result of the August arrest, Simpson is behind bars.
Simpson, who was charged with his second DUI in the last five years, plead guilty on November 20 to the charge in exchange for a plea deal. In the deal, he was sentenced to four days in the Montgomery County Jail and would be ordered to wear a SCRAM ankle monitor for 90 days. The bracelet will monitor his blood alcohol intake to ensure he does not consume alcohol.
Simpson must also attend Alcohol Anonymous meetings regularly and seek counseling for post traumatic stress disorder. His drivers licenses was suspended for two years.
He reported to jail on Friday night at 8 p.m. and is set to be released Monday evening.
In August, Simpson was booked into the jail on charges of drunken driving by the Miamisburg Police Department. It was reported by the ABC/FOX station that Simpson was no longer employed by the station at the time of his arrest.
In 2014, Simpson, then-the Chief Meteorologist at Dayton’s channel 7, WHIO-T.V., was charged in Greene County for driving while drunk. Public records say in that case, Simpson drove his car off the road and hit a tree. According to toxicology results listed in the crash report, Simpson’s blood-alcohol level was .228.
In the 2014 case, Simpson was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with the judge suspending all but three days on the condition Simpson has no similar violation in the next five years and that he do a term of probation of two years. The judge gave Simpson credit for three days in jail because Simpson said he voluntarily went to a 30-day outpatient treatment facility and would continue follow-up treatment.
Simpson’s five year plea agreement did not expire until November 2019, meaning if he caught another charge of drunken driving he could have spent six months behind bars. According to court records, that deal was tossed and Simpson will not have to serve the time.
Simpson resigned from WHIO after his 2014 conviction and surfaced across the street at WKEF a short time later.