An Ohio state senator who once worked on legislation to stiffen penalties for multiple D.U.I. offenders has entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence (DUI).
State Senator Louis Blessing, 54-years old, appeared at the Clinton County Courthouse Thursday for his arraignment.
The Republican lawmaker was stopped in the early morning hours on
December 19 as he drove southbound on I-71 near Wilmington, Ohio, after a truckdriver who spotted Blessing's weaving car called the state highway patrol.
The senator claims he made a "dumb decision" when he chose to drive back to Cincinnati rather than stay overnight in the state capitol of Columbus.
Blessing was arrested and charged with DUI after the state patrol officer found the state lawmaker had a blood-alcohol level of .11 percent when given the Breathalyzer test, just over the legal limit.
The state senator has declared that although he did not believe he was impaired in any way at the time of his arrest, he has quit drinking -- even dropping his two-pack per day cigarette habit -- since his arrest last week.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for January 29 in the Clinton County Municipal Court.
Blessing represents the Eighth District in Hamilton County.
