A 17-year-veteran of the Aurora, Ohio Police Department who was recently honored by MADD for enforcing drunken driving laws was arrested at his home on December 19 and charged with driving under the influence.
At approximately 2:15 a.m. on December 19, 41-year-old Kent, Ohio resident Scott A. Garan, a sergeant with the Aurora PD, was stopped by Kent police for “erratic driving,” according to the police report.
After investigating, officers learned that Garan was intoxicated. He refused all sobriety tests and was arrested on misdemeanor charges of operating a vehicle under the influence and criminal damaging, according to the report, which did not say where the criminal damaging charge came from.
According to Mayor Lynn McGill, behavior like Garan’s alleged behavior is “unacceptable.” He said that Garan would be placed on administrative leave “until we get this sorted out.”
At the October 2008 Portage County MADD banquet honoring law enforcement officers who are top enforcers of drunk driving laws in their Portage County departments, Garan was named the top OVI enforcer at the Aurora department. He has been a member of the Aurora PD for more than 17 years, 11 of those as a patrol supervisor.
The arrest is not Garan’s first run-in with the Kent PD. On August 23, 2007, he was arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to Portage County court records. He pleaded guilty at his arraignment and was fined $43 plus court costs.
