CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — An emergency dispatcher for the Ross County Sheriff’s office has been charged with drunken driving six months after it happened and only after the Guardian pressed for answers.
According to a report from the Chillicothe Police Department, Keipher Scott, 26, crashed her car on Feburary 27 along Yocktangee Parkway while driving into work. Officers wrote in their report that just before 11:30 p.m., they were dispatched to the accident involving four vehicles. When they arrived, they found that one person — Scott — was still trapped inside one of the cars and was in the back seat.
Officers say Scott was driving along the street when she crossed the roadway and hit another car, along with two parked vehicles.
“While waiting for medical assistance, Ms. Scott stated this is a ‘wake up call,’” the officer wrote in his report. “Ms. Scott stated that she is an alcoholic.” The officer said he asked her if she was under the influence of alcohol and she replied that she “probably was,” according to the report; Scott said she was drinking wine earlier in the day.
The entire ordeal was caught on a police bodycam.
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At the time, Captain Michael Short with the Chillicothe Police Department told the Guardian that Scott would be charged with drunken driving and failing to control her vehicle. He went on to say that the charges would be issued once Scott was “feeling better.”
Fast forward to six months later, and Scott had not been charged. Earlier this month, the Guardian started digging to find answers as to why the citations had not been issued.
On Wednesday, Short said Scott had been issued the two charges; it was only after the Guardian pressed officials as to why it had not happened, sooner.
“They weren’t going to charge her. In fact, the Sheriff had a discussion with the Chief of Police about it and it was said that they were hoping it would just go away,” said a source inside the law enforcement complex. “They fear the Guardian. When something comes up, they just pray that your staff will forget about it and not follow-up.”
Scott told officers that she was on her way to work at the Ross County Sheriff’s office where she has been employed as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for approximately one year and that she was running late, the report reads. According to public records obtained by the Guardian, Scott was scheduled to start her shift at the Sheriff’s office at 11 p.m. Saturday night but failed to show up. That’s when co-workers began calling her, asking where she was. Law enforcement sources who spoke to the Guardian on conditions of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter said that Scott told her colleagues she was having car troubles and would be there as soon as she could. It was about 20 minutes later when the crash occurred on Yocktangee Parkway.
Scott was severely injured in the crash and had two broken legs and several broken ribs, according to social media postings by family members. She was taken to the hospital and later underwent surgery. Family members said that she was on a ventilator and was in the intensive care unit at Grant Medical Center in Columbus. She has since been sent home.
The Guardian asked Ross County Sheriff George Lavender about the current status of Scott’s employment with the Sheriff’s office given the charges lodged against her, and if he had any comment on what would have happened if Scott showed up to work and handled emergency calls while under the influence; the Sheriff did not answer the questions.
Scott is due in court on September 20.
If you or a loved one suffers from alcoholism, free help is available. SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral service. Please call 800-662-HELP (4357).
