Lawmaker facing DUI charge involved in 2 earlier incidents, according to police

Medics were called after a state trooper tried unsuccessfully for 20 minutes to wake Martin, according to the patrol’s log.

At 3:22 a.m., long-time lawmaker Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, called the patrol and arranged for House Republican campaign director Mike Dittoe to pick up Martin. It is unclear why Amstutz was called. Amstutz did not return messages on Friday.

Dittoe said he gave Martin a ride to a residence about 10 minutes from downtown Columbus.

On May 16, 2010, the night manager at the Residence Inn in Beavercreek called police about guests yelling and fighting on the fifth floor at 4:30 a.m. Officers found Martin and six other men “highly intoxicated” at a bachelor party. The men said they weren’t fighting; just having a “friendly wrestling match in their hotel room,” a Beavercreek police report said.

Martin’s parents were called to pick up the men and their belongings, according to the police report. Police noted that the room was tidied up and not damaged.

Martin was not cited for public intoxication in Columbus or Beavercreek.

Highway Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston said it is not out of the ordinary for officers to make sure an intoxicated person is medically okay and then release him to a responsible person without being cited.

In the latest incident, a state trooper stopped Martin on July 22 on U.S. 35 in Jackson County for driving left of center and hauling a trailer without taillights.

During the stop, Martin refused to submit to sobriety tests. Martin’s passengers included children in the back seat.

. In a police video released by the patrol on Friday, Martin is seen wearing shorts and a T-shirt and cracking his knuckles just before troopers handcuff him.

Martin’s attorney, Charles Rowland, said his client would formally plead not guilty to driving under the influence and child endangerment on Thursday, Aug. 4, and that Martin had no comment beyond a written statement issued earlier that said he looks forward to a chance to vindicate himself in court.

Martin did not return telephone messages.