CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A man previously involved in a controversial 2021 incident at Yoctangee Park is back in the news after being arrested for Operating a Vehicle Impaired (OVI). Jeff Kritzwiser was taken into custody on October 16, 2024, around 9 p.m., following a traffic stop.
Kritzwiser, who is currently being held at the Ross County Jail, was previously the focus of local headlines after a 2021 incident in which he locked three juveniles in a public restroom at Yoctangee Park. At the time, Kritzwiser, a park and recreation employee, accused the juveniles — ages 11, 12, and 14 — of smoking marijuana in the park. He detained the teens by locking them inside the restroom until police arrived on the scene.
Chillicothe Police Officer Samantha Taczak responded to the 2021 call, advising Kritzwiser that he did not have the authority to detain the juveniles in that manner. “Kritzwiser became agitated with that statement,” Taczak noted in her report. When questioned about his actions, Kritzwiser told officers he was trying to prevent the teens from fleeing on their bikes before police arrived.
No charges were filed against Kritzwiser at the time, though many, including attorney Brad Jones, argued that his actions possibly amounted to unlawful restraint. “Smoking pot is a misdemeanor, and in most cities, a minor misdemeanor. These are children,” Jones said in 2021. “This park employee has opened himself up to felony charges, and the city could face lawsuits from the families of these children. This is a serious, traumatic violation of the law.”
Kritzwiser faces an OVI charge, while many still remember the controversy surrounding his actions in Yoctangee Park in 2021.
