Ohio state Rep. Elgin Rogers Jr. of Toledo has been indicted on OVI and firearms charges stemming from an August traffic stop in Clay Township, according to reports Monday, Oct. 19, updating earlier coverage of the case.
An Ottawa County grand jury indictment issued Sept. 30 charged Rogers with operating a vehicle under the influence and two counts of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, WTVG 13 Action News reported. The Lake Erie Inquiry, a nonprofit newsroom covering northwest Ohio, separately reported on Oct. 9 that a grand jury had indicted Rogers and that his municipal court cases would be dismissed as the case moved forward.
According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Rogers was booked into the Ottawa County Jail at 12:55 a.m. on Aug. 13 on charges of OVI, driving too slow and improper handling of a firearm. He appeared in Ottawa County Municipal Court later that day and was released on his own recognizance.
Clay Township police said Rogers was pulled over on State Route 51 near North Billman Road for several moving violations, including driving below the posted 55 mph speed limit. Officers said he was under the influence at the time of the stop, and court records cited by 13abc said officers found a loaded 9 mm handgun between the center console near his right foot.
Police offered Rogers a breath test. As of the August coverage, the Clay Township police chief had not disclosed the results or whether Rogers took the test, and no additional test result was reported in Monday’s update.
Rogers, a Democrat, represents Ohio House District 42, which covers a large portion of Toledo and the eastern part of Lucas County. He is on the November ballot for re-election, which means voters in his district will weigh the case alongside the campaign in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.
The charges are accusations only. Rogers is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court, and an indictment is a grand jury’s decision that a case should proceed, not a finding of guilt.
What happens next is procedural: with the indictment filed, the case moves from municipal court into the common pleas process in Ottawa County, where arraignment and future court dates will be set. NewsForce247 will follow the court record as those dates are scheduled and will report any statement Rogers or his counsel makes on the charges.
Photo: Limpfster94, CC BY-SA