Grand Old Police Blotter: Menace to Sobriety Edition

Ohio continues its long tradition of exporting its drunks to Indiana. I know some Buckeyes will blame this matter on the poor quality of Ohioan strippers, but the Party of Personal Responsibility never would:

CINCINNATI -- The Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office released video Friday from the arrest of Ohio State Rep. Robert Mecklenborg.

The video begins with Mecklenborg being pulled over by an Indiana state trooper just before midnight on April 22 on U.S. 50 in Lawrenceburg for a broken headlight.

...

The trooper then asked the woman to step out of the car and began to question her. He asked how she knew Mecklenborg.

"We've been friends for a while," the woman replied.

The woman in the vehicle reportedly works at a strip club in Lawrenceburg.

Mecklenborg is married with three children.

A judge ordered a blood test on Mecklenborg, which showed his blood-alcohol content level at .097, which is above the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle. The toxicology report showed Mecklenborg also tested positive for Viagra.

Well, it's not like Mecklenborg is a current prosecutor who sits on the State Senate's Judiciary and Ethics Committee.

(The arrest video is at the first link. For those who have witnessed passive-agressive whining, there's no need to watch the arrest video.)

In a shockingly uncharacteristic manner, the Ohio G.O.P. circles the wagons for Mecklenborg to fall off of. Because it's not like he killed anyone from Ohio, or twittered his dick:

Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, said Thursday that party leaders are "assessing" the matter.

"It's a tough situation," Triantafilou said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob and his family."

Ohio House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, said in a statement late Thursday that he was "shocked and disappointed to learn of the difficult situation that Rep. Mecklenborg and his family are facing."

"We are working with Rep. Mecklenborg to find a solution that is in the best interests of the representative, his family and all concerned," Batchelder said.

It's hard out there for a diminutive Republican drunk. Since the arrest happened in April, the G.O.P. has had two months to assess the matter, work out a solution and pray. But the arrest became public, so their prayers weren't answered.

And what does Governor Kasich have to say?

Gov. John Kasich has not called for Rep. Mecklenborg's resignation.

"Not from me," Kasich said. "This is tough for him. It's something I've thought about but I'd like to keep those thoughts to myself. We have to stop pounding people when they make mistakes."

Plus, the cop was a moron.

But no one feels more sympathy for Representative Mecklenborg than the true victim in all this:

The Enquirer learned of the arrest Wednesday, nearly nine weeks after it occurred. Asked whether he had any idea how and why it finally had surfaced, Mecklenborg said: "When you're in public office, you've got a bull's-eye on your back."