Man Found Not Guilty of Weapons under Disability and Improper Handling of a Firearm

A young man decided to go out to pick up his friend and go to a local bar one evening recently. He borrowed his girlfriend’s van to drive. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to him, she had a gun in the vehicle. He had not driven that vehicle in quite some time. He went with his friend to the bar and proceeded to drink entirely too much. He dropped his friend off at home and on his way back home, fell asleep in his vehicle. The police came to the vehicle and tapped on the window to wake him up.

After he woke up, the police could tell very clearly he was drunk. After performing the roadside field sobriety tests, he was arrested and charged with first offense OVI / DUI.  When the police searched the van, they found the gun. They questioned the driver and he explained to the officers that it was not his vehicle, it was not his gun, and he did not know the gun was there. He was nonetheless charged with improper handling of a firearm of a motor vehicle  and weapons under disability. His case was scheduled in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The driver went through the majority of the court process with a different attorney, and the offer from the prosecutor was for him to serve prison time. He knew he was not guilty and decided to make a change. After meeting with attorney Ben Luftman, the Columbus Criminal Defense team was hired to represent him on the OVI / DUI, improper handling of a firearm, and weapons under disability case.

Attorneys with LHA represented the young man and after a number of court dates, a jury trial was set. After conducting the trial, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on the OVI / DUI, improper handling of a firearm, and weapons under disability charges. The young man felt vindicated and naturally was extremely grateful for us standing up for him and our skill in the trial.

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