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Reports/Washington County
¯ Deputies were dispatched at approximately 9 p.m. June 23 to the area of 940 Watertown Road in reference to a private property crash at that location. A Spectrum employee was repairing a utility box that had been damaged.
The utility box was located on the side of the road, however at the back edge of a field of the property. It was reported that the operator of the tractor confronted the Spectrum employee and was cursing at him, as he believed the utility box was on his own property.
Deputies met with the employee and observed the male subject on the tractor continue to plow the nearby field. Deputies made multiple attempts to get the operator of the tractor to stop, including walking across the field shining flashlights at the operator, activating overhead emergency lights, and even activating the siren on cruisers when the tractor was driving nearby.
At one point the driver of the tractor drove within 20 yards of the deputies' location, however ignored their presence in the field.
At approximately 10:09 p.m., the driver approached the deputies' location and deputies were able to observe a man, later identified as Chad Harra, operating the farm equipment. Harra was asked to come down from the tractor to speak with deputies, which he refused to do, saying he was on his own property.
Harra eventually climbed off the tractor. He became argumentative while deputies were attempting to identify him, refusing to give his name, stating he had no ID on him. Harra would not provide his Social Security number or date of birth, only wanting to complain about the Spectrum employee being on his property to fix the utility box.
While speaking with Harra, his eyes appeared glassy and bloodshot, he was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. An open can of Busch Light beer was observed on the floorboard of the tractor and when asked how much he had been drinking that night he said it did not matter, as he was on his own property.
Harra was asked to submit to a standardized field sobriety test, which he refused to do, and stated he was not leaving his property. He then complied with some tests, however was not able to follow instructions enough to complete the test, nor was he able to follow simple commands. Harra was advised that he was being placed under arrest for suspicion of OVI with him stating "I'm not under arrest" multiple times.
Deputies gave multiple commands to Harra to place his hands behind his back which he refused to comply with, actively resisting deputies when they were attempting to handcuff him. Deputies and Harra ended up on the ground, in which he was ultimately placed in handcuffs and secured in the patrol car before being transported to the Washington County Jail.
A PBT at the jail gave a reading of .192 at 11:37 p.m. Chad Alan Harra, 37, of 14360 State Route 339, Waterford, was charged with OVI, obstructing official business, and resisting arrest.
¯ A lieutenant was on patrol Friday near Way Road when a vehicle was observed with no functioning tail lights. A traffic stop was made on the SUV, with the driver being Timothy McKinley. A check through dispatch revealed McKinley was under suspension for driving. A citation was issued to McKinley, 25, of 3009 Calder Ridge Road, Belpre, for driving under suspension.
¯ A deputy began an investigation Saturday into a vehicle being keyed/damaged on Clement Avenue.
¯ A lieutenant was dispatched Saturday to an address on Ohio 7 in Marietta Township to a report of Warren Ritchie assaulting an individual. Ritchie appeared extremely intoxicated, slurring his speech with a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. Ritchie advised he had no idea what happened other than an argument between himself and the individual there once she poured out his alcohol. After completing the investigation, Warren C. Ritchie, 66, was placed under arrest for assault and transported to the Washington County Jail.
Arrests/Washington County
The following individuals were recently processed into the Washington County Jail:
¯ Todd Daniel Weddle, 53, of Marietta, was arrested for disrupting public service, a felony.