Ohio Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens, appeared in Athens County Municipal Court yesterday and was ordered by Judge Douglas Bennett to pay a $50 fine, plus court costs, after receiving a no operator's license charge, said a municipal court worker.
The worker said cases like Stewart's go though the court "all the time," and Stewart has finished his paperwork and paid his fine.
Stewart originally pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving with a suspended license at his arraignment Sept. 8, but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of no operator's license at yesterday's hearing.
The hearing was related to an Aug. 31 incident in which Stewart was pulled over on state Route 50 for speeding. When the state trooper who pulled him over ran his license through the system, it showed that Stewart's license had been suspended.
The suspension was due to an unpaid late fee from an earlier speeding ticket. Stewart was pulled over in Lancaster earlier in the summer and was late sending a check to cover the fine. A $35 late fee was charged to Stewart, which he said he was unaware of.
After returning home Aug. 31, Stewart found a letter from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles dated Aug. 25 stating that his license had been suspended.
"I certainly apologize for having paid my original speeding ticket late which ultimately led to all this," Stewart said. "As I said before I wasn't aware that my license was suspended. But certainly I apologize for speeding. I'm sorry for what I did."
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Lindsey Nelson
