Staff Report

TROY — A Piqua man convicted of repeat driving while under the influence charges was sentenced Monday, May 17, to a mandatory term of 60 days in the Miami County Jail.

Christopher Clements Jr., 33, earlier pleaded guilty in Common Pleas Court to felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated and refusal to submit to a test. The charges stemmed from incidents in July 2020.

Defense lawyer Jay Lopez told Judge Stacy Wall that Clements had a history of alcohol-related problems and has been receiving counseling. Clements said he hadn’t had any alcohol since the night he was charged.

Wall said Clements had three convictions for operating a vehicle while under the influence in 2015 plus three since. The latest offense occurred while he was on probation for two convictions when the most recent offense occurred, she said.

Clements was ordered to serve the 60-day mandatory jail term, complete five years of community control and pay a $1,350 fine and court costs. His driver’s license will be suspended for five years and he was ordered to maintain full-time employment, complete 100 hours of community service and undergo random urine screens. A two-year prison sentence was reserved in case Clements violates the probation.

Also appearing in court Monday was Megan Jess, 34, of Troy. She pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a fentanyl-related compound in March.

Wall told Jess her record showed multiple offenses each year since 2015, offenses that were related to drug abuse.

Jess was ordered to serve three years of community control and to pay court costs. She was ordered to serve 45 days in jail but will be released to a women’s recovery program when a treatment bed is available, Wall said.