Springfield Police Chief Lee Graff told the Springfield News-Sun that he couldn’t comment on the arrest, but that his officers are dedicated to serving the community.
Robinson’s legal troubles began Sunday morning at around 4 a.m. when a Clark County deputy observed a gray-colored vehicle fail to stop at a traffic light at the intersection of North Street and Fountain Avenue, according to the affidavit.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Robinson, pulled into a parking lot, exited the vehicle and walked back to the cruiser, the affidavit says.
“I met the driver before he made it all the way to my cruiser,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit. “At this point, I recognized the driver as Joey Robinson, an off duty police officer with the city of Springfield.”
Robinson told the officer he thought the light was green when he drove through it, the affidavit says. The deputy then began to suspect that Robinson was under the influence.
“I then asked Mr. Robinson if he had been drinking and he didn’t respond to my question,” the affidavit says. “At this point, I could smell the faint odor of an intoxicating beverage about his person and I observed that his eyes were very glassy and he was unsteady on his feet swaying back and forth.”
The deputy said he called for assistance from Springfield police, and while he waited he asked Robinson if he would take a field sobriety test. The deputy said Robinson failed to respond.
Once Springfield police made it to the scene, Robinson was asked again to take the test, the affidavit says.
“Mr. Robinson continued to ignore my request and failed to answer with a yes or no answer,” the affidavit says. “I took his no reply as a refusal. I then placed Mr. Robinson under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and or controlled substance.”
The affidavit says Robinson was transported to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Post to take a breathalyzer test, which he again did not answer whether he was willing to take it. The deputy said he took the no response as a refusal.
A next court date in the case was not set.