MILFORD, Ohio — A Milford police officer who faced a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless operation, according to court records.
Clermont County court records show Tanner Williams, who was pulled over by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper on April 28 while driving on I-275 near Union Township, was in court on July 11.
During that hearing, a new charge of reckless operation was filed and court records show Williams pleaded guilty. The charge is a fourth-degree misdemeanor; the original DUI charge was a first-degree misdemeanor.
Williams was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with credit given for 27 of those days. Instead of serving those three remaining days in jail, the judge sentenced him to a three-day driver intervention program.
His license is suspended for 180 days, but the judge gave him permission to drive to his intervention class and for work purposes.
Williams was also ordered to pay a fine of $200.
When Williams was arrested, the ticket written for him at the time of the traffic stop also noted a citation for driving in marked lanes, though Williams was not charged separately for that. The trooper who pulled Williams over said he did so because he saw Williams drive out of his lane.
Body camera video of the arrest showed an OSHP trooper talking with Williams, asking if he had anything to drink.
Williams said he "had a little bit," telling the trooper he was driving to Goshen from a bachelor party in Covington.
"Why didn't you just stay down there?" the trooper asked. Williams responded by shaking his head.
When asked how many drinks he had, Williams said "a few." Williams refused any field sobriety tests, and he was placed under arrest on the suspicion of driving while drunk. The trooper noted he smelled a strong scent of alcohol on Williams, and that Williams stumbled out of his truck when he was asked to step out of the vehicle.
"Sounds like you made a poor choice tonight getting in that vehicle," the trooper said when putting handcuffs on Williams.
At the time of Williams' arrest, Milford Police Chief Janey Mills said Williams was currently an officer with the Milford Police Department. Mills said the department will conduct an internal investigation when the criminal case is resolved, but Williams "is currently assigned to desk duty."
