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BOARDMAN -- Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Tom McCabe, who also is director of the county board of elections, was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired and failure to yield right of way.
McCabe, 56, of Forest Lake Drive, Boardman, pleaded not guilty Thursday to the charges in Mahoning County Court in Boardman. A. Ross Douglass is his attorney.
"We'll see where it goes," McCabe said. "At the end of the day, I (pleaded) not guilty and everything will come out in the wash. We'll go from there."
McCabe was pulled over at 1:18 a.m. Wednesday on Market Street and McClurg Road by a state trooper, according to a dispatcher at the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Canfield.
The highway patrol dispatcher said a report on McCabe's arrest wasn't available Thursday.
McCabe said he was "out and about" after "working late," picked up a pizza and was driving back to his residence when he was pulled over by a trooper.
Court records show McCabe refused to be tested for his blood alcohol content. His license wasn't taken from him, according to court records. Court records were not updated Thursday to show when his next court date is.
The legal limit for OVI in Ohio is 0.08. Anyone who tests over that is charged with OVI. If an officer believes a person is drunk and he or she refuses to take a test, a charge of OVI can be issued.
OVI is a first-degree misdemeanor while failure to yield right of way is a minor misdemeanor.
McCabe was elected Republican chairman in February 2019. He has been either director or deputy director of the board of elections for about 25 years.