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Police release body camera video of Mahoning Treasurer Dan Yemma
Struthers Police Department releases police stop and arrest video of Mahoning County's Treasurer. Dan Yemma has pleaded not guilty to a charge of Operating a Vehicle while Impaired.
Tuesday, September 20th 2022, 11:02 PM EDT
Updated:

About two weeks ago Mahoning County's Treasurer, Daniel Yemma was arrested in Struthers accused of Operating a Vehicle while Impaired.
21 News put in a request for video of the police body camera after his arrest.
Tuesday, the Struthers police department provided a video of Yemma's stop and field sobriety test.
On September 8th Yemma Mahoning County's Treasurer is pulled over by Struthers Police.
The officer explains why.
"The reason for the stop, you went through the stop sign right there by Wildcat Drive, while you were making your right-hand turn you went over the double solid line, which is called left of center, and you went over the curb when I stopped you. So my question for you is how much did you have to drink tonight? I can smell it," explained the officer.
Yemma denies drinking a few times.
Twice the officer offers to find the driver a ride home if he reveals how much he has had to drink.
Audio from the body camera video shows the officer telling the driver if he works with him they can find him a ride home and "avoid the whole OVI process."
21 News reached out to Struthers Police to see if that is a police tactic to get the driver to reveal how many drinks he or she may have had, or if offering rides home to suspected impaired drivers is police policy or something the officer can do at his or her own discretion.
Chief Tim Roddy says it's not police policy, and that the officer was trying to get the driver to admit how many drinks he had or ascertain if he had medical issues.
Roddy says the officer didn't know who Dan Yemma was.
The video appears to support that the police officer had no idea he pulled over Mahoning County's Treasurer.
Struthers Police say Yemma failed two sobriety tests.
In the video, the officer asks Yemma to follow his pen without moving his head.
The policeman also asks Yemma to take nine heel-to-toe steps, turn, then take nine heel-to-toe steps backward the other way.
Yemma told the officer he did not understand and the officer explains the process again.
Yemma stopped taking the test. He also refused the Blood Alcohol test.
The officer put him under arrest.
Mahoning's Treasurer pleaded not guilty to OVI.
He did not return our call or text for comment.
The entire video is posted here.