MOUNT VERNON — It was a relatively quiet night for local law enforcement officers on New Year’s Eve weekend.
Two and sometimes three Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers patrolling in Knox County over the weekend intercepted eight drivers who were charged with driving under the influence. In addition, three were arrested in Morrow County.
Patrol Sgt. Keith Cross said Friday night and Saturday morning, two troopers were patrolling in Knox County. Saturday night and Sunday morning three troopers were assigned to the county.
Nothing out of the ordinary was reported by the Mount Vernon Police Department about the new year’s weekend.
“It looked just like a normal Friday night,” said MVPD Capt. George Hartz, adding that he was not aware of any OVI or DUI arrests. He added that there was one report of fireworks and a couple of domestic reports, but that there was “nothing unusual.”
He gave credit to an article encouraging drivers to “Be safe and sober on the roadways” in Friday’s News. “It must have been a good deterrent,” said Hartz.
New Year’s Eve was relatively quiet, according to Capt. David Shaffer of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
“I don’t know that we had too much, just a few calls,” said Shaffer. “If anything, we were busier the night before for some reason.”
Although traffic enforcement is not one of the sheriff’s primary functions, they do assist local municipalities and the Ohio State Highway Patrol with additional manpower as needed.
