Mom of Twins Arrested for OVI after Driving with 6 Kids

Around 10:07 PM on July 3, 2023, Officer Richard Roy of the Fairfield Township Police Department clocked a 2003 Toyota Corolla for speeding 80 MPH in a 55 MPH zone in the vicinity of State Route 4 and Greenlawn Road. He proceeded to activate his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued driving until eventually stopping at the United Dairy Farmers gas station at 4255 State Route 4 in Liberty Township, Ohio. Officer Roy made contact with the driver, who was identified as 26-year-old Elisha Thompson. When Officer Roy asked her why she did not stop earlier, she told him that she was trying to get home.

Upon looking in the vehicle, he observed there were 2 children in the front passenger seat of the Corolla, while there were 4 children in the back seat of the car. A 9-year-old and a 4-year-old were in the front passenger seat, while Elisha’s 10-month-old twins, a 6-year-old child, and a 3-year-old child were in the back seat without any seat belts or safety restraints. He also detected the odor of alcohol inside the vehicle.

Officer Roy asked Elisha to exit the vehicle and proceeded to ask her how much she had to drink earlier. Elisha initially told him that she had only consumed 1 beer at a fireworks display earlier. He also learned that she had a warrant for her arrest and her license was suspended. Butler County Deputy Young arrived to assist around this time, but he left when he received another call. Instead, Sergeant Matt Miller and Officer Tess Flynn arrived on scene shortly afterwards to assist with the traffic stop.

Based on Officer Roy’s suspicion of impairment, Elisha was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first field sobriety exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During this test, Officer Roy observed a lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees in both eyes. The second exercise involved the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Elisha failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while putting her foot down 2 times. The third exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Elisha displayed a lack of balance and did not turn properly as she was instructed to do so.

Based on her erratic driving patterns, her incoherent speech, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Officer Roy placed Elisha under arrest for Operating a Vehicle Impaired (OVI). After she was placed under arrest, her vehicle was searched and impounded. Elisha was subsequently transported to the Fairfield Township Police Department for initial processing.

Once she was at the Fairfield Township Police Department, Officer Roy read her the Ohio BMV 2255 form while Sergeant Miller witnessed it, and she ultimately refused to submit breath samples for testing. After Elisha was photographed and fingerprinted, she was transported to the Butler County Jail and booked for OVI along with 6 counts of endangering children. She was issued the following citations: OVI (ORC 4511.19 (A)(1)(A)), Speeding 80/55 MPH (ORC 4511.2), driving with a suspended license (ORC 4510.16), Failure to Wear a Seat Belt (ORC 4513.263). She was also charged with 6 counts of endangering children under ORC 2919.22 (C)(1).

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