Joseph Fritz from OSHP body cam footage

 

Lordstown prosecutor and former Newton Falls law director A. Joseph Fritz was arrested and charged with OVI during a traffic stop in Howland on June 12.

Fritz was pulled over by the Trumbull County division of the Ohio State Highway Patrol just after midnight after officers saw a 2008 Jeep driving westbound on East Market Street in Howland Township and stopped the vehicle for distracted driving.

According to the police report, officers performed a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer test on Fritz, and charged him with driving under the influence, driving in marked lanes, and distracted driving.

The report said Fritz's blood-alcohol level was 0.140, which is higher than the state limit of 0.08.

 

 

Fritz was arraigned in Warren Municipal Court in Judge Terry Ivanchak's courtroom Friday, where Fritz plead not guilty to the charges.

The village of Lordstown has attorney Joseph Fritz on retainer to serve as prosecutor for the village through November 2023. Fritz represents the village in Newton Falls court.

Fritz had served as Newton Falls law director from 2010 through November 2021, when council terminated Fritz's contract. At the time of his firing, Fritz had been on 30 days paid leave pending an investigation from the Treasury Investment Board and the City of Newton Falls Police Department. According to Newton Falls Mayor Kenneth Kline, the investigation is still ongoing.

Fritz's next hearing is set for Aug. 12 in Warren.