Liberty Avenue checkpoint screens 934 vehicles

VERMILION — Police screened 934 vehicles during a two-hour sobriety checkpoint Friday on Liberty Avenue (U.S. 6) in Vermilion, citing one driver for an open-container violation. The checkpoint was conducted by the Vermilion police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol between Vermilion Road and Nantucket Place. Eight motorists were diverted for additional investigation, according to a highway patrol news release. Each driver passing through the checkpoint was delayed about 20 seconds. No OVI arrests were reported during the checkpoint itself. After the checkpoint ended, troopers and Vermilion police increased patrols in the area for the remainder of the night. Later that evening, Vermilion police charged a motorcyclist with OVI after a serious crash on Liberty Avenue. Vermilion police Chief Scott Holmes said he requested assistance from the highway patrol because several serious crashes had occurred along that section of Liberty Avenue. Driver impairment was a primary factor in those crashes, he said. Holmes pointed to three recently installed utility poles along the north side of Liberty Avenue that replaced poles damaged in crashes. Vermilion police "is committed to the safety of our citizens, and we will continue to be proactive in our OVI enforcement," Holmes said. He added that police would continue working with police would continue working with surrounding law enforcement agencies. Highway patrol statistics showed 41 OVI-related crashes occurred within a 3-mile radius of the checkpoint during the last three years. Troopers also made 30 OVI arrests within the same area during that period. The federally funded checkpoint was established after an analysis identified Erie County as an area of concern for alcohol-related crashes, according to the highway patrol. Holmes also addressed the legality of sobriety checkpoints. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1990 case Michigan Department of State Police v. Sitsz that properly conducted checkpoints do not violate the Fourth Amendment. Holmes said valid checkpoints must meet requirements involving advance public notice, a mathematical method for selecting vehicles, safety precautions, historical justification and minimal detention of motorists. He said those requirements were followed during Friday's operation. Lt. Shaun Robinson, commander of the highway patrol's Sandusky post, thanked motorists who made safe arrangements after consuming alcohol. "We hope this trend continues so that no more lives are lost through the senseless and selfish act of getting behind the wheel impaired," Robinson said.