'You can smell it from here': Bodycam footage shows David Koechner failing sobriety test before being arrested
David Koechner was detained for "operating a vehicle while impaired" following many failed field sobriety tests that were given by Ohio State Highway Patrol officers earlier this month. On June 4, police in Lawrence County stopped the "Anchorman" actor after noticing a few "lane violations" as he was driving. Koechner reportedly declined to take a breathalyzer test.
According to the Ohio Bar, the state of Ohio does not accept the word "DUI" (driving under the influence) and instead prefers the term "OVI" (operating a vehicle impaired), which forbids using practically any type of motorized vehicle while drunk. According to Ohio law, Koechner could be sentenced to "a mandatory jail term of three consecutive days, with a maximum prison sentence of six months" if he is found guilty of the misdemeanor offense.
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In body camera footage, one of the cops is heard saying, "Alcohol… glossy eyes. I could smell the alcohol when I walked up to the car." Another responding officer, who was informed by the first officer on the scene, stated that Koechner was from "California... says he's going to Comic-Con in West Virginia."
"Oh God, You can smell it from here," the patrolman exclaimed as he approached the automobile. Before recalling particular stops on his trip prior to being stopped, Koechner informed the trooper he was coming from the Cincinnati airport. When asked, "How much have you had to drink tonight?" Koechner said, "One."
The police questioned, "One beer, or one shot of liquor, or what?" Before being identified by the officer, Koechner made a clarification, "No, no. one beer." He was then requested to exit his car and walk across the road to the second patrol car.
Koechner was questioned regarding his need for contact lenses, general health, use of drugs, and history of head injuries. Each query drew a "no" from him. As cars sped past on the highway, the patrolman started performing a field sobriety test and asked Koechner to follow the point of a pen with his eyes without moving his head.
Following that, Koechner was given specific orders to walk a heel-to-toe straight line that involved nine steps, which he counted out for the police. Koechner was told at one point to hold up one leg and count with his arms raised by the thousands. After that, the officer told him to return to the police car and put him "under arrest for operating a vehicle while impaired."
An OVI offender may also have to perform 500 hours of community service in addition to a drivers' intervention program and a fine of up to $1,000. Reportedly, a hearing is scheduled for July 8.
Following his arrest on New Year's Eve in Ventura County, California, in December 2021, Koechner was also charged with DUI and hit-and-run.
Koechner is well-known for co-starring with Will Ferrell as sports reporter Champ Kind in the 2004 film "Anchorman," and he again appeared in the follow-up in 2013. On the night of his arrest, Koechner, who played Todd Packer on "The Office," was supposed to host a trivia night for the program at the Ro-Na Cultural Center in Ironton, Ohio.
