Alliance officer on leave after recent criminal charges in Austintown, Goshen
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(WKBN) - An Alliance police officer from Canfield is on unpaid leave following recent criminal allegations.
Ethan Griffith was found guilty in Austintown court of OVI and obstruction. As part of a plea deal, the other charges against him were dropped.
He received his sentence Wednesday, which included fines and one year of probation.
The case stemmed from a crash on June 7 that happened in the area of Kirk Road and state Route 46.
According to an Austintown police report, Griffith was identified as the driver who hit a utility pole but left the scene of the crash. Police said while searching for the driver, they located a man near a gas station on Canfield-Niles Road, but he led them on a chase.
Police said Griffith later called police to turn himself in, and officers said he smelled of alcohol when he was taken into custody. He declined to take a field sobriety test. He submitted a breath test that showed a blood-alcohol content of .173, over the legal driving limit of .08, according to the police report.
Police reported finding an AR-15 behind the driver's seat of the wrecked vehicle, as well as a pistol in a bookbag in the vehicle. The firearms were confiscated and were later released to the Alliance Police Department, where Griffith works.
Griffith is also facing a child endangering charge in Goshen stemming from an incident reported at White House Fruit Farm on July 26. A report on that incident was not immediately available.
He is scheduled to appear in a Sebring court on Thursday for that case.
Alliance Police Chief Akenra X said he was surprised to learn of the allegations that Griffith is facing. He has been on the force since March 2022 and has been a "fantastic employee," he said.
The chief said they are following union protocols during the legal proceedings against Griffith, who now remains on unpaid leave.