Greene County firefighter in suspected OVI case quits

Todd Lohse pleaded not guilty to the charge on Wednesday.

A Beavercreek Twp. firefighter resigned this month days after he was cited for backing a fire engine into a pillar at a fire station, allegedly while under the influence of alcohol.

Todd Lohse pleaded not guilty on Dec. 12 in Fairborn Municipal Court to operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, according to court records.

Lohse, 31, was cited for improper starting/backing and OVI for the Dec. 2 incident at Fire Station No. 1 at 2195 Dayton Xenia Road, according to records the Dayton Daily News obtained from Fairborn Municipal Court.

A Greene County deputy responded to the firehouse and filed the report.

Lohse was backing up engine 64 into a garage when the fire engine “side-swiped a pillar along side the township building,” according to the incident report.

The crash happened at approximately 11:15 a.m. About two hours later, Lohse, as was required under township policy, took a breath test for blood-alcohol

content, according to the report.

Lohse took two breath tests — the first indicated his BAC was 0.102, and the second, administered 20 minutes later, indicated his BAC was 0.094, according to the report. The legal limit is 0.08 in Ohio.

Lohse told his supervisor that he had consumed alcohol at a party the night before, according to the report.

Lohse submitted his resignation letter to the township on Dec. 5, and trustees accepted it at their meeting on Dec. 10, according to Beavercreek Twp. Administrator Alex Zaharieff.

“Mr. Lohse did cause some damage to a fire department vehicle while it was at the fire station,” Zaharieff said.

Zaharieff declined further comment.

Lohse’s attorney, Charles Rowland, could not be reached for comment.

The Daily News has asked the township to provide access to Lohse’s resignation letter and personnel file as well as any other communications relevant to his resignation and the Dec. 2 incident.

Lohse was introduced as a new firefighter in the township’s fall/winter 2015 newsletter “Beavercreek in Touch.”

Lohse, a native of Clinton, Iowa, where he grew up near the Mississippi River, moved to Ohio with his mother and graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School in 2005, according to the newsletter.

Lohse worked as a volunteer firefighter for Kettering while earning his fire and EMS certifications from Sinclair Community College, according to the newsletter. He worked as a paid parttime firefighter in Kettering from September 2010 to June 2013 before being hired full-time by the Springfield Fire Department, according to the newsletter.

During his time as a fulltime firefighter in Beavercreek Twp., Lohse received an EMS Unit Commendation ribbon and a Firefighter Commendation medal, according to the newsletter.