COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Gahanna Division of Police released body camera and dashcam video on Wednesday showing the arrest of a Columbus Division of Police officer who is accused of driving drunk last week.
Dashcam video shows a vehicle driving on the right shoulder of Interstate 270 near South Hamilton Road on Friday.
The officers pulled the vehicle over and spoke to the driver, Tylor Nixon.
The bodycam video shows the Gahanna officer asking Nixon to step out of the vehicle. Nixon was then asked to perform several field sobriety tests such as walking in a straight line, following the tip of the officer's pen and balancing on one foot. After about 10 minutes, he was put into handcuffs.
Franklin County Municipal Court records say he took a breathalyzer test, which showed his blood-alcohol-content was more than double the legal limit in Ohio.
Nixon was also carrying a loaded Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun and was charged with improperly carrying a firearm, a fifth-degree felony, in addition to the OVI.
Nixon was the first of three Columbus police officers arrested for OVI in a four-day span. Sgt. Melvin Romans was arrested in Circleville on March 12 and Officer Robbie Whitlow was arrested in Pickerington on March 13.
The division released statement saying, "When situations like these occur within our Division, we provide our officers with all the help they need through our Center for Public Safety Wellness. The Wellness Center provides a safe space for police, fire, and dispatchers to get the support they need and to address the stress that comes with the high standards of the public safety profession."
The arrests come as Columbus police prepare for one of the biggest drinking weekends of the year - St. Patrick's Day.
In a partnership with Columbus Public Health and Central Ohio Safe Rides Committee, the local agencies are promoting ride-share options so people won't drive intoxicated.
At various restaurants, there will be codes offered to customers that give $10 off ride shares for the holiday weekend.
The division also unveiled its mobile breath testing unit, the DUI Interceptor, on Tuesday. The vehicle will help officers in the field by processing suspected DUI drivers at the scene.
Laura Seger, from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said driving drunk is 100% preventable.
Seger's son died from a drunk driving crash and she warns everyone this weekend to plan out their rides.
Seger said the news of the officers arrested for OVI makes her sad because they are the ones who have to deal with fatal drunk driving crashes.
“They see the carnage from the crashes of impaired driving, so it makes me sad that they made that poor judgement call. But it also reminds that they're human and that we all make mistakes, and hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes," Seger said.