Cincinnati Criminal Defense Blog

The Ohio State Highway Patrol took a woman into custody last week on drug trafficking charges. The arrest occurred on Interstate 71, northeast of Cincinnati in Warren County. According to law enforcement, an officer observed that the woman was not leaving enough distance between her car and the vehicle ahead of her.

The officer initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle. After pulling the woman over and approaching the car, the officer noticed what are termed "criminal indicators." The Highway Patrol then brought in a narcotics dog, which gave a signal that drugs were likely located inside in the car. Officers then removed a portion of the car's dashboard, behind which was a package later determined to contain cocaine. Law enforcement determined that the approximate street value of the drugs was $420,000.

April is here and May is fast approaching, and that means high school students in Cincinnati and around Ohio are eagerly anticipating their proms. For many students, the prom is an exciting event that puts a fun capstone on a long year of schoolwork. Prom is indeed cause for celebration, but some students take their revelry too far and decide to drink at or after prom.

Underage drinking can have a number of criminal consequences for teenagers. In addition, students caught drinking may face serious disciplinary action at their schools.

Many readers may be aware of a new drug's rise to national prominence. That drug is "bath salts," and has been the subject of a number of television programs and news reports documenting its newfound popularity. Users can become addicted to the drug quickly, and in 2011 the Ohio General Assembly responded by making it illegal.

Despite the possibility of facing drug charges, people still continue to use and sell bath salts. According to police reports, last week law enforcement broke up an alleged bath salts production and distribution scheme in Mason. Police seized $685,000 of what they believe to be bath salts, which would make the operation one of the largest not only in southwestern Ohio, but also in nearby states.

Ohio drivers know that those convicted of a DUI offense face serious consequences, which can include having to use an ignition interlock device. These machines require the driver to provide a breath sample and will not allow the engine to start if the sample contains a certain amount of alcohol. While such devices are currently used only in DUI cases, some speculate that they could be universal, although in an advanced form, at some time in the future.

At the present, the federal government is spending about $10 million to investigate whether it would be technologically possible to have a modified interlock device in every car in order to prevent drunk driving before it occurs. It appears that one of the primary stumbling blocks for universal installation is the device's accuracy. Although proponents claim that the devices have a high degree of accuracy, even a small percentage of errors could mean that thousands of drivers, legally entitled to get behind the wheel, could be unfairly prevented from driving where they need to go.