Chillicothe — The Ross County Grand Jury returned 19 of their 20 cases on Friday, February 7th, 2025, with two open for release to the public. From testimony in the the grand jury in one of the cases, according to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office:
On June 28th, 2024, an Ohio State Patrol Trooper stopped a driver for failing to signal while turning right from Douglas Street to Gilbert Street in Chillicothe.
The trooper smelled a strong odor of burned marijuana and an alcoholic drink when making contact with the driver, who had bloodshot, glassy eyes.
42-year-old Michael W. Wonderleigh of Orange Street in Chillicothe was arrested for OVI after several tests.
During the testing, another trooper found a loaded and functional handgun in plain view on the passenger seat.
The misdemeanor OVI was processed through the Chillicothe Municipal Court, before Wonderleigh was handed over to the Ross County Grand Jury for a felony: For an indictment on fifth-degree felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, he could get up to a year and $2,500 in fines.
