A grandfather in Goshen, Ohio has been accused of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol after crashing his car while taking his six-year-old grandson to school.
Witnesses claimed that Dennis Plavsic was speeding down Garden Drive last week and slammed into a large concrete flowerpot. He was arrested for child endangerment and OVI.
Police discovered that this wasn’t Plavsic’s first drunk driving incident. His records showed that he had been arrested for three prior OVIs.
Plavsic denied any wrongdoing, saying that he would never put his grandson in danger. He claimed that the accident occurred when he turned around to check his grandson’s seatbelt.
“This morning it was just a freak accident is all it was,” he said. “By the time I turned back around, I hit the concrete thing up front. Because they smelled liquor on me from my dog spilling it on me from last night, they automatically assume I’ve been drinking.”
The accident took place just a few feet from a school bus stop where Sheilah Pertuset had been standing with her daughter.
“It was right after the bus had left,” she said. “We were still standing there, and this guy just went around the corner flying, lost control.”
She went on to say that Plavsic had appeared disoriented at the scene.
“He shouldn’t have been driving his little boy, no matter what,” Pertuset stated. “And then his little boy got out and he was crying and put his little hat over his head. It was scary because the kids were just there and you don’t know what could happen.”
The police tried to perform a breathalyzer test, but Plavsic couldn’t complete it. In fact, he’s never been able to complete one because of an alleged problem with his lungs.
According to Goshen police, the child is back home with his grandparents, but there is a plan in place for Children’s Services to meet with the family.
In Ohio, the sentence for OVI is typically a fine ranging from $250 to $1,000. Authorities have not disclosed the specific legal ramifications of Plavsic’s actions.